The Importance of
Sportsmanship
On the heels of the
unfortunate incident at Tempe High School last week, I thought it was
appropriate to revisit the notion of sportsmanship. To our young Eagles who may
not fully understand the concept… you know how Coach Gene always says “Do the
little things right, and big things will happen”? Well, sportsmanship is one of
those “little things” that leads to “big things” happening.
So what is Sportsmanship?
Sportsmanship is a great
tradition in sports and competition that means playing clean and handling both
victory and defeat with grace, style, and dignity. This is the reason why you
guys line up after each game to shake the hands of your opponents at the end of
each game… win or lose.
Sportsmanship includes playing
fair, following the rules of the game, respecting the judgment of referees, and
treating your opponents with respect. As a general rule of thumb, it makes
sense to look at sportsmanship in a similar way that we view friendship… treat
the people you play with and against as you would like to be treated yourself.
You demonstrate good
sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your teammates, and your
opponents, for the coaches on both sides, and for the referees, judges, and
other officials.
But sportsmanship isn’t just
reserved for the people on the field. Cheerleaders, fans, and parents also need
to be aware of how they behave during competition. Sportsmanship is a style and
an attitude, and it can have a positive influence on everyone around you.
