As an athlete, sportsmanship is embedded into my head by all my coaches. But not everyone is that way. Many players trash talk, hurt others on purpose, and this is something coaches don’t talk about to their athletes. Having good sportsmanship on and off the field can prevent injuries, conflicts, and any bad tension between teams.
Good sportsmanship off the field is being able to help your team or teammates
when having an off day. You can encourage them and not put them down if a bad play was done. Or you can cheer on the team if you can’t play because of an injury or being benched. Good sportsmanship on the field is keeping a good attitude against the opposing team when losing, it isn’t their fault. Hurting people on purpose is wrong but obviously people get hurt sometimes. It can’t always be controlled in sports but don’t do it on purpose because you’re mad. If there’s a conflict on the field, try to stay out of it and help your teammates stay calm don’t feed into the problem, it will just make it worse. Good sportsmanship is not only for players but for coaches as well as athletic trainers.
From a personal experience during an away soccer game the athletic trainer for the opposing team was not showing positive sportsmanship. A teammate was forced to get her nose piercing taken out by the athletic trainer and the trainer didn’t even sanitize her hands nor the area causing an infection. After the game I rolled my ankle. It was painful. We still had another game after so I decided to go ask to get it wrapped so it would have some support. I was told no that I didn’t need it and just gave me ice. I was shocked that the athletic trainer turned me down when it’s their job to help me stay safe.
This shows that sometimes it isn’t just the players but those who are involved in sports, and that is why it’s important for everyone to show good sportsmanship. Jackie, an athletic trainer at SPASH says, “Good sportsmanship helps keep the game safe and it helps to keep the culture of athletics healthy and it keeps people coming back to play. A lot of people leave athletics because of poor sportsmanship and poor culture so keeping good sportsmanship is important to keep numbers up in sports”.
Speaking of coaches, it’s their job to lead their team and show leadership. Jim Hedlind, a boys & girls basketball coach at Fitch Middle School, says in his article, “For the coaches, make sportsmanship your priority”. The most important reminder a coach should tell their players is that they are representing their school. Schools can be judged by the way their players act on and off the field, which includes social media behaviors. Acting like losers will make you losers. Don’t bully other schools on social media or on the field at the end of the day it was just one game where everyone should be having fun. Coaches should emphasize that more as their players look up to them. For many coaches it’s about winning state or going to the finals. Sportsmanship is a mindset that can later be adapted by players.
Most athletes have played their sport for most of their lives but according to Jim Hedlind, “Players shouldn’t specialize at too young of an age”. Athletes who specialize at a young age tend to take their sport too seriously. Once they start taking their sport too seriously at a young age they tend towards poor sportsmanship as they continue. Having role models at a very young age can be very good for athletes as they continue in their character development path. But role models could also cause an athlete to develop a bad mindset. For example, a coach could be a role model or their leader and what is something all coaches want? Winning. I get it, winning is important. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to win but making it your number one priority can be unhealthy.
Competing with high levels of sportsmanship does not jeopardize chances of winning. Gregory Prudhomme, an Elite Certified member of the United States Tennis Association, believes “character development in sports must be a deliberate goal promoted by sport leaders”. Always keep in mind that having a good character and knowing who you are would keep you successful in life. No one will ever be able to change you but they can influence your thoughts on changing.
Jackie states that good sportsmanship helps keep the game safe and the culture of athletics healthy. She believes that good sportsmanship is important and it should be enforced in sports. Jim Hedlind emphasizes that coaches need to make sportsmanship their priority. As a coach you’re the leader of your team. Your team will follow what you teach. Lastly, character development in sports must be a goal all athletes should have and it should be promoted by their leaders, aka their coaches or captains. It’s important for an athlete to have a healthy mindset and think positively about their participation in the sport, and they get these mindsets from their leaders.
