It is easy to accept such a position. But then you find many cases where it IS acceptable for an athlete to cause harm to themselves. You would know, you were a

It is easy to accept such a position. But then you find many cases where it IS acceptable for an athlete to cause harm to themselves. You would know, you were a wrestler. You knew the guys who just cut a bit. And then there were those monsters who cut nearly whole weight classes. And it wasn't just that they were undisciplined and screwed up and had to make up for it. Those are the lean mean killing machines, who somehow squeeze out a gallon of water from their bodies. And while temporary, it is most certainly dangerous. And they most definitely gain an advantage. Which comes back to, it's all relative. Acceptable behavior is not fixed. What is sportsmanlike is fluid, and changes between sports, and over time, and even geographically, and carries a great due of subtlety. For example, in basketball, intentional fouling is often a sound decision. North American Ultimate Frisbee is the most unsportsmenlike thing in the world according to the rest of the world. Major league baseball pitchers routinely (as in always) break the rules on how long they wait between pitches (and the batters are just happy to oblige). The whole thing is a complicated furball.