| We view it on our televisions screens every evening, as the media often publicizes these flamboyant behaviors of our sports figures, from the antics of Dennis Rodman, to Bobby Knight's temper tantrums. We see fights on the football field, brawls on the baseball diamond and melees in the boxing ring. While these sports are not the only guilty parties, they do receive the most exposure. Every evening, children and young adults watch their favorite sports heroes and emulate them the next day on the courts or on the playing fields. If today's sports heroes lack the qualities that constitute sportsmanship, such as honesty, integrity and humility, our next generation will follow in the same footsteps.
Unfortunately, they have already begun. The sanctity of sport, where true sportsmanship is embodied, is under fire. Lately you read about incidents of poor sportsmanship in peewee football, little league and other sports programs involving young children. It has become a trickle down effect from the professional ranks to collegiate to high school and so on. But who is to blame? Do we blame the kids, the professional athletes, parents, coaches, the media? Maybe everyone is responsible.
These days winning has become the number one priority, from professional sports to youth sports. With winning comes media exposure, money, job security and much more. Just in college football, one more victory could result in a $12 million dollar bowl game payoff versus a $4 million if you come one win shy. That seems like a lot of pressure to win for anyone, especially a 19-year old athlete. And, unfortunately, with the ever growing mentality of winning only, sportsmanship got tossed aside, as well as the sanctity of the sport.
Sadly a trend has begun, summed up nicely by Philadelphia 76er Allen Iverson, the MVP of the NBA in the 2001 season, "I would rather win than have good sportsmanship." I will admit that winning is the goal in professional sports, mainly because profession sports is business first, sport second. But in many area of sport, winning should be secondary, because the sanctity of sport still exists. At a certain level and age, athletes should be learning about teamwork, fair play, fundamentals of the game and especially how to have fun. However, many coaches and parents do not see it that way. You see more and more coaches yelling at their players mistakes! Coaches are even getting ejected from youth games because they argue with referees. Is this the kind of example we want to set as coaches?
Profanity has also become widespread throughout sport. Have you ever been at a sporting event, be it professional, collegiate, or even high school, and behind you some guy is yelling and cursing at a referee or a player? Not only is it inappropriate in general, but it is being used in an environment where many young children can hear it and will assume that it constitutes appropriate behavior. And the sad thing is that the rude obnoxious fan has his own child sitting right next to him.
How can we expect kids to demonstrate sportsmanship when we as coaches can not act in a civil manner? It is with coaches that athletes are with on a daily basis who have an immediate impression on them. I am not trying to preach sportsmanship to you, but to give you a better understanding of some of the problems that face sports today.
Not only do we need to teach our athletes about sportsmanship, but we need to be role models to them. If we don't serve as role models, then the athletes favorite professional athlete on television will. We all know Charles Barkley's famous quote, "I am not a role model." Unfortunately, Charles, due to the power of the media, you have become one, even if you choose not to accept it. Don't get me wrong, there are many professional athletes who are role models and exhibit sportsmanship, but unfortunately they are not the ones who get the press. It wasn't until a couple summers ago during the McGwire-Sosa home run chase that true sportsmanship, exhibited in such a positive manner, was celebrated in the media. If you think hard, it is a lot easier to recollect acts of poor sportsmanship than instances of good sportsmanship, especially as reported in the media.
It is time that we as coaches take the time to instill fun and sportsmanship back into sport. We need to promote the critical role of ethics, honesty, through the mediums of education and sport. By reinforcing the principles of sportsmanship and fair play in our student-athletes we teach them valuable lessons that can be used throughout there lives, not just on the athletic field, court, mat or pool. This would be a good time to start reflecting as a coach the meaning of sportsmanship and how you can help protect the sanctity of sport.
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