Sportsmanship Information
Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. A sore loser refers to one who doesn't take defeat well, whereas a good sport means being a "good winner" as well as being a "good loser".[1][2]
Sportsmanship can be conceptualized as an enduring and relatively stable characteristic or disposition such that individuals differ in the way they are generally expected to behave in sport situations. In general, sportsmanship refers to virtues such as fairness, self-control, courage and persistence[3] and has been associated with interpersonal concepts of treating others and being treated fairly, maintaining self-control in dealing with others, and respect for both authority and opponents.
A competitor who exhibits poor sportsmanship after losing a game or contest is often called a "sore loser" (those who show poor sportsmanship after winning are typically called "bad winners"). Behavior includes blaming others, not taking responsibility for personal actions, reacting immaturely or improperly, making excuses for one's loss, referring to unfavorable conditions or other petty issues.[4][5] A bad winner acts in a shallow fashion such as gloating about his or her win, rubbing it in the face of the one who lost and lowering the opponent's self-esteem by constantly reminding them of how "poorly" they performed in comparison (even if they participated well).
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Relationship to morality
Sportsmanship typically is regarded as a component of morality in sport, composed of three related and perhaps overlapping concepts: fair play, sportsmanship and character.[6] Fair play refers to all participants having an equitable chance to pursue victory[7] and acting toward others in an honest, straightforward, and a firm and dignified manner even when others do not play fairly. It includes respect for others including team members, opponents, and officials.[8] Character refers to dispositions, values and habits that determine the way that person normally responds to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures and successes and is typically seen in polite behaviors toward others such as helping an opponent up or shaking hands after a match. An individual is believed to have a “good character” when those dispositions and habits reflect core ethical values. An example of poor sportsmanship is exemplified in a team's calling timeouts to run up the score on an opponent when the former team already has a sizable lead.
See also
- Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, trophy given by the National Hockey League to the player who shows the best sportsmanship
References
- ^ See, e.g., Joel Fish and Susan Magee, 101 Ways to Be a Terrific Sports Parent, p. 168. Fireside, 2003.
- ^ David Lacey, "It takes a bad loser to become a good winner." The Guardian, November 10, 2007.
- ^ Shields & Bredemeier, 1995.
- ^ "MJD", If he's going to lose, Bill Belichick would rather be elsewhere. Yahoo Sports, February 3, 2008.
- ^ E-releases, Super Winners and Losers ("The Patriots’ coach was eviscerated by sports pundits for leaving the field before the game was actually finished").
- ^ Shields & Breadwinner, 1995.
- ^ Weinberg & Gould, 1999.
- ^ Canadian Commission for Fair Play, 1990.
External links
- AL Notebook, Torre: Rodriguez Was Wrong to Distract Fielder. The Washington Post, June 2, 2007, Page E06.
- News story at ESPN.com
Categories: Sports culture | Terms used in multiple sports | Etiquette
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