Sports*man*ship NOUN \\-,ship\\
: Fair play, respect for opponents, and polite behavior by someone who is competing in a sport or other competition.
When people think of high school athletics, they think of sweaty, foul smelling, crowded gyms with overly aggressive parents yelling at a ref’s call. Rarely do fans think about the class and humility expected from student athletes.
Fair play- Respect for the rules and fair treatment of all participants
Respect for opponents- All players on the court are equal. Respect your team and respect the members of the opposing team.
Polite behavior- Don’t agree with a call? It’s not your call to make. Leave it to the refs or judges.
Being a student athlete is demanding. By the time athletes arrive at practice or a game they have gone through seven hours of school. It’s not unusual for athletes to use the time focusing on their sport to forget about the drama that unfolded at school or a bad day or a not so great grade. Pent up energy or anxiety might be channeled into practice or into a game or meet.
Yet, uncontained, that extra energy could result in lashing out at an opponent’s trash-talking, a ref’s bad call or a teammate who makes a selfish move or mistake.
Enter sportsmanship. It is what ultimately separates the men from the boys or the women from the girls. It’s that ability to ignore negativity, the heated environment of competition or unsportsmanlike behavior around them that distinguishes the classiest of athletes.
