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.
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