Cheating in sports would have been a religious infraction when sports began in ancient Greece,” according to Chris Herrera, an assistant professor of philosophy at Montclair State University.

Herrera was part of a panel on Sports and Ethics, the final program in Sports in America: A Humanities Perspective, held Nov. 30 at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center on the MSU campus in Little Falls.

“Things were simpler back then to the extent that religion simplified things,” Herrera said.

He and the other members of the panel — Montclair journalists Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News and Jonathan Alter of Newsweek and Holly Gera, director of athletics at MSU — bantered about the “shades of gray” when discussing the two concepts.

There are very few “black and white” issues, Bondy said. Many examples straddle the threshold of acceptable behavior. Was it ethical for United States officials to expedite the citizenship process so an elite skater could participate in the 2006 Olympics or for an athlete to be penalized because he was unaware that his prescription for a medical condition was banned by his sport’s governing body?

Some current situations would have been unheard of just a generation ago. “Twenty years ago, no one would have thought that the Olympics Committee would have to consider transgender issues,” said Gera, who also discussed problems unique to the academic ranks, including questionable recruiting practices and preferential treatment for star athletes. “The NCAA rule book contains more than 300 pages,” she said, “and people are always looking for loopholes.”

Alter, a member of Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, conceded he was not a sports expert but spoke from the perspectives of a fan and a parent. “I’m generally appalled by the behavior I usually see on the sidelines by parents, coaches, and fans.

“I’m particularly interested in sports, not as building character, but reflecting character,” he said, something “that builds teamwork, a cause larger than narrow self-interest.”

Inevitably, the discussion turned to the use of performance enhancing drugs [PED]: If such substances are not illegal, is it unethical to use them?

Bondy said that he was undecided whether to vote for Mark McGwire — the former slugger who broke Roger Maris’ single season home run record of 61 in 1998 — in the upcoming Hall of Fame elections. McGwire was accused of taking an over-the-counter supplement and was criticized for his reticence on steroids in baseball at congressional committee hearings in 2005. “Once you vote [McGwire] in, what do you do about [Barry] Bonds and others?” Bondy asked. “It’s a murky situation.”

The use of PED by professional athletes “definitely has a trickle-down effect,” said Gera. “There’s more pressure on high school and college students” to take such substances to improve their chances for scholarships and professional careers.

Although there is no consensus on the long-term effects of steroids, Alter, a cancer survivor, was nevertheless concerned about evidence that suggested PED can cause health risks. He found it “inconceivable to take [such] drugs for anything other than saving your life.”

The program, which was attended by high school students and faculty from the NJ area, was moderated by Dr. Daniel Bronson, professor of English at MSU, and hosted by the Yogi Berra Museum.