Major League Baseball has told a federal judge that attempts at cheating are a part of sports.

MLB is urging the judge to dismiss a lawsuit by fantasy contestants.

Five men sued MLB, MLB Advanced Media, the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox in federal court in Manhattan, claiming fraud, violation of consumer protection laws, negligence, unjust enrichment and deceptive trade practices by teams that violated MLB's rules against the use of electronics to steal catchers' signs.

The five said they participated in DraftKings fantasy baseball contests.

"Rules violations -- large and small, intentional and unintentional, technical and game-changing -- are a never-ending source of sports television, talk radio, web and elevator commentary by sports pundits and fans alike," MLB said Friday in papers submitted to U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff.

"And fans' general awareness of the potential for infractions is underscored in this case by the fact that clubs were publicly disciplined for electronic sign-stealing violations during the 2017 regular season."