History Main / OrderedToCheat

* In "Series/{{Daredevil}}", the titular hero's father, a boxer, was being paid by gangsters to throw his fights. He eventually got fed up with the dishonesty of it and won...which is how his son ended up in an orphanage.

* Happens in TheLongestYard, when the Warden orders guard captain Knauer, who, while cruel, still believes in fair play, to play dirty. Specifically, he wants the guards' team to get a three touchdown lead and just kick the inmates' asses for the entire rest of the game.

* In the first ''TheBadNewsBears'' movie, Buttermaker orders Rudy to lean in, get hit by the pitch, and "take one for the team". Rudy doesn't like it, but he does it.

* In ''The Boys in Company C'', a group of US Marines are told that they can stay behind the lines, playing soccer (and presumably avoiding combat) if they ''lose'' to their South Vietnamese opponents, since this would help build public confidence in the South Vietnamese Army. After they deliberately give their opponents the lead, the other team starts taunting them. The Marines then proceed to kick their butts, and then line up to go back to their base, for reassignment in the field.

* In one episode of ''PoliceSquad'', Frank was going undercover as a boxing coach. The VillainOfTheWeek kidnapped the wife of the man Frank was coaching to force him to throw the fight. Frank rescued the girl, inspiring the boxer to win the match.

* In the first of RobinHobb's ''SoldierSon'' books, the military academy to which the protagonist belongs has a policy of failing whole units based on their overall performance, rather than simply failing the individuals who perform poorly. One of the cadets therefore comes under considerable pressure to cheat in an exam for a subject he is known to be weak in. His resistance is resented by the cadets who believe that they'll be turned out of the academy if and when he fails.

* In ''KitchenPrincess'', the director of the school Najika attends tells her to deliberately lose a competition between her and Seiya Mizuno (an up-and-coming young chef), promising to [[SavingTheOrphanage save the orphanage]] she grew up in from being torn down if she does.

* In ''DragonBall'', during the 22nd World Tournament, Tien Shinhan finds that their master, the Crane Hermit, has been having [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Chaozu]] use his telekinesis to paralyze Goku during their fight. The Crane Hermit then orders Tien Shinhan to kill Goku while he's paralyzed. Tien Shinhan refuses.

* In ''ThePrinceOfTennis'', while Yuuta Fuji plays against Ryoma Echizen, team manager Mizuki, determined to win at any cost, tells Yuuta to focus his attacks close to Ryoma's left eye (where he had suffered an injury in a previous match). Yuuta refuses to do so, and decides to end the game fairly.

-->'''Kreese:''' Bobby, I want him out of commission.
-->'''Bobby:''' But, Sensei, I can beat this guy.
-->'''Kreese:''' I don't want him ''beaten.''
-->--''TheKarateKid''

* In ''HeyArnold'', Arnold is told to lose a spelling bee by Helga's father, in exchange for a check for the prize money. That's because Helga's dad had said that if she doesn't win the spelling bee, he'd have a huge sale at his store. When it comes down to the final round, Helga's dad gets nervous and tries to bribe Arnold. Helga catches him doing it, and proceeds to lose on purpose to humiliate her father.
* Subverted in ''KingOfTheHill'', Season 12, ''Suite Smells of Excess''. Hank was told to give misleading orders to a rival football team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, so that his football team, Texas Longhorns, would win. Hank was reluctant at first, but then went on with it when he remembered that it was to help Texas. [[spoiler: The rival football team won anyways.]]

* Seen in the ''[[TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode where Lisa is in a spelling bee. The organizer tells her to throw her word that could win her the bee (with the promise of a fully paid college education and a hot plate), because the governing body wants to use her [[{{Adorkable}} adorably geeky]] rival in advertising. In a bout of defiance, she exposes the con, then proceeds to lose anyway.

* ''Film/TheKarateKid''. Evil Sensei John Kreese's students are basically the neighborhood tough guy/bullies. His philosophy of Karate can be summed up as "No Mercy". Daniel [=LaRusso=], the titular ''Karate Kid'', learns a much more balanced philosophy of karate. When it looks like [=LaRusso=] is going to take the All Valley Under 18 Karate Championship away from one of his students, Kreese first tells one student (who is fighting [=LaRusso=] in the semi-finals) to take him "out of commission", which the kid does by wrecking one of [=LaRusso=]'s knees. The kid adamantly doesn't want to do it and apologizes afterwards... and he was [=DQ'ed=]. In the final bout, Kreese tells his favored student to "sweep the leg," which the student does. Naturally Daniel wins anyway.
** The ContinuityReboot version of ''The Karate Kid'' was much more [[NoHoldsBarredBeatDown brutal]] about this, though. When Dre is taken down, the other kid holds his leg and does nothing but land elbow strikes repeatedly until the one spot is almost black with bruises. Unlike the example above, the kid doesn't directly apologize. Then the other instructor tells the next kid to break Dre's leg. Guess what happens.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]
* [[Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock]]'s father was told to throw a boxing match. He initially agreed to do so, only for his pride or self-respect to get the better of him, eventually winning anyway, which caused him to be killed by the Mob shortly afterwards.
* In Comicbook/{{JLA-Avengers}}, two [[CosmicEntity Cosmic Entities]] are gambling on whether the JLA or the Avengers can [[GottaCatchThemAll collect a set]] of {{MacGuffin}}s first. While most of the teams pursue the artifacts, CaptainAmerica and Franchise/{{Batman}} do some digging and figure out that it's actually to the advantage of both teams if the Justice League wins. In the brawl over the final [=MacGuffin=], the Avengers almost win so Cap has to [[OrderedToCheat order his team to]] [[ThrowingTheFight Throw The Fight]].
** More specifically, he grabs the last [=MacGuffin=] and gives it to Batman, the orders the Avengers to stand down and let the League win.

** Interesting in that Krishna is an Avatar of Vishnu, one of the three most important gods in Hinduism. So basically, God ordered him (or gave him the idea to) to cheat.

* In ''PrinceOfTennis'', while Yuuta Fuji plays against Ryoma Echizen, team manager Mizuki, determined to win at any cost, tells Yuuta to focus his attacks close to Ryoma's left eye (where he had suffered an injury in a previous match). Yuuta refuses to do so, and decides to end the game fairly.

* In ''PrinceofTennis'', while Yuuta Fuji plays against Ryoma Echizen, team manager Mizuki, determined to win at any cost, tells Yuuta to focus his attacks close to Ryoma's left eye (where he had suffered an injury in a previous match). Yuuta refuses to do so, and decides to end the game fairly.

* In ''ThePrinceofTennis'', while Yuuta Fuji plays against Ryoma Echizen, team manager Mizuki, determined to win at any cost, tells Yuuta to to attack close to Ryoma's left eye (where he had suffered an injury in a previous match). Yuuta refuses to do so, and decides to end the game fairly.

* ''Film/TheColorOfMoney'', where Fast Eddie Felson tells Vincent to "dump" in one of his road matches, so as to prep him for a rich guy easy mark. Vincent, being the hothead egotist that he is (played by TomCruise), wins the match and loses the mark.

* ''TheColorOfMoney'', where Fast Eddie Felson tells Vincent to "dump" in one of his road matches, so as to prep him for a rich guy easy mark. Vincent, being the hothead egotist that he is (played by TomCruise), wins the match and loses the mark.

* Central to the boxing subplot in Film/{{Snatch}}. Turkish is under strict orders to make his boxer take the dive, which he passes on to Mickey... Who is ''terrible'' at it. [[spoiler:Because he has his own game in play that involves ''not'' diving.]] 'Orrible things ensue.

* [[{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock]]'s father was told to throw a boxing match. He initially agreed to do so, only for his pride or self-respect to get the better of him, eventually winning anyway, which caused him to be killed by the Mob shortly afterwards.
* In {{JLA-Avengers}}, two [[CosmicEntity Cosmic Entities]] are gambling on whether the JLA or the Avengers can [[GottaCatchThemAll collect a set]] of {{MacGuffin}}s first. While most of the teams pursue the artifacts, CaptainAmerica and Franchise/{{Batman}} do some digging and figure out that it's actually to the advantage of both teams if the Justice League wins. In the brawl over the final [=MacGuffin=], the Avengers almost win so Cap has to [[OrderedToCheat order his team to]] [[ThrowingTheFight Throw The Fight]].

* {{Inverted}} in ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals''. Mr Hoggett would like nothing more than a fair game, but his team happens to be full of compulsive cheaters. He apologizes for his team's actions, and when the game is done, he decks Andy Shank, the worst of the bunch.

* In one ''Film/TheThreeStooges'' short, the Stooges, as managers to a boxer, [[AnOfferHeCantRefuse are ordered by the Mafia]] to have the boxer take a dive. The boxer refuses, and the Stooges have to concoct a ZanyScheme to sabotage his training. [[HilarityEnsues Slapstick Ensues.]]