Why sportsmanship matters

Gone unchecked, unsporting behavior can be cause aggravation or irritation and can be unnerving or intimidating. Unsporting behavior is also unfair. Unfair to the other participants, the officials, the volunteers, and everyone associated with the event. The most serious effect of unsporting behavior is that it compromises safety. Simply put: unsporting behavior leads to fun for no one. Related Posts. Adding to the list above, practicing good sportsmanship also teaches children about etiquette, respect, character, kindness, perseverance, and a myriad of other lessons.

These lessons will be carried with that individual for the rest of their life, and will determine the kind of person that individual may become. On the flip-side, without understanding sportsmanship in both sports and life, youth are more likely to portray a more condescending and rude behavior , that, once established, is difficult to escape.

We must remember the golden rules: always treat others how you would like to be treated, practice what you preach, and finally, your actions speak louder than your words.

This applies to both our youth and their peers. Keeping these three things in mind will help ensure that not only are we teaching our youth a valuable lesson about good sportsmanship through our words, but we are showing them this lesson with our actions in life. Stay up-to-date with feature announcements, helpful articles, FAQs and how-to's.

Play fair. Good sportsmen want to win because they followed the rules and played the best game they could. Never support any effort to win that attempts to go around the rules. Cheating is not acceptable. Follow directions. Emphasize the importance of listening to coaches and referees and following their directions while on the field and involved in team activities. Respect the other team. Whether your team wins or loses, it's important to show respect for the effort of the other team.

If the other team wins, accept defeat, acknowledge their abilities, and move on. If your team wins, resist bragging—that's what it means to be a gracious winner. The National Sportsmanship Foundation recognizes extraordinary sportsmanship through its annual Musial Awards.

Alexander cited the example of one winner, Josh Zuchowski. When he was 10, his main swimming rival was Reese Branzell — the two would often trade first and second place. I won this trophy for you today. I hope to see you back in the pool. Allison Torres Burtka is a freelance writer and editor based in metro Detroit. You can read more of her work here. Skip to main content. Email Address. First Name.