Sportsmanship
by Doug Reese TTNL
In the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, Ben Johnson of Canada won the 100 meter dash, setting a new Olympic and world record for the event. Carl Lewis of the United States came in second place claiming the silver medal. After the race, the Olympic officials found that Johnson had an illegal substance in his body - anabolic steriods. Ben Johnson ran the Olympic race illegally. He was stripped of his gold medal and of his Olympic and world records.
Ben Johnson
Eventhough Ben Johnson ran faster than all of the other runners, he failed to live up to the sportsmanship of the Olympic ideals. Carl Lewis was then presented the gold medal and was named Olympic champion of the 100 meter dash.

Athletic Principle
"The future holds extraordinary challenges for everyone, and you must except those challenges as a part of life. Honesty and integrity are most important. Never compromise on what you know is right." Lenny Wilkens - NBA Hall of Fame Player and Coach
"Some clubs want to win so much they'll do any-thing to get it. Our approach has been just the opposite. We've tried to do things the right way. And the right way is the rules and regulations, and they are precisely what we go by." Don Shula - NFL Hall of Fame Coach, World Champion Miami Dolphins
Sportsmanship - is simply an athlete who behaves fairly, honestly and generously in sports competition. It is playing and competing within the ruls of the game. It is training and competing with honesty and integrity in everything you do.
  • In football, sportsmanship is avoiding anabolic steriods to develop strength, speed and size.
  • In wrestling, sportsmanship is making weight with out the use of diuretics, saunas and plastic suits.
  • In basketball, sportsmanship is keeping your tongue under control, not talking trash up and down the floor.
  • In hockey, sportsmanship is keeping emotions emotions in check, not high sticking, slashing and tripping an opponent.
  • In baseball, sportsmanship is not throwing high and inside at a batter to leave a message.
Sportsmanship is always thinking of the consequences before you talk or act. What you say and do as an athlete does affect others. Think about it. Sportsmanship is a character quality. The time to build character is now. Just as the building that stands the test of time must have a strong foundation, so must you. If you don't build that foundation you will have a hard time reaching your goals. If you are able to reach them without character, the satisfaction you feel will be fleeting.

Start building a solid foundation now! Do it with character, do it with integrity, do it with class, and do it as a true sportsman.

God's Performance Principle

There was a young Christian athlete who attended a southern university. He was on the football team as the starting wide receiver. The athlete was continually praying to God, saying, "Help me in the climax of moments to be asolutely honest. I pray for honesty - the one mark of integrity. I want to be that, Lord, and I'll work on it through the season."

A rival team came to town that day for the homecoming game. During the game, the young Christian athlete ran his pass route across the goal-line into the end zone. The quarterback rolled out to the right, and drilled a pass that was low and off target. The receiver slid and reached out at grass level to pull the ball into his chest. The referee in the corner of the endzone raised his arms signaling a touchdown!

But the receiver knew otherwise, he had trapped the ball. He hadn't caught the pass at all, his body all but blocked the view of the referee.

The stadium crowd were cheering wildly for the hero of the game. The receiver got up and said, "Wait a minute." He jogged over to the referee and shook his head. "I trapped it." The referee canceled the touchdown, and the home team lost the game.

The receiver stood there alone, not only against his teammates that said, "What does it matter, man?" but against the stands full of people. He said, "I can't take the credit. I did not catch it."

This athlete showed his true character - he played fair, by the rules, and he stood strong and alone for the trutch. He showed integrity, for that is what sportsmanship is - integrity.
"The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes the crooked paths will be found out." (Proverbs 10:9)
Ben Johnson took the crooked path, through a drug test he was found out, and lost much: an Olympic gold medal, a world and Olympic record, prestige, honor, glory, and his integrity. Carl Lewis showed his sportsmanship and his integrity and was honored as a champion.

Not everyone will honor integrity as noted in the above story. It is a sad statement when the prevailing attitude of the day is to "win at all costs." But God is calling us as Christian athletes to a higher standard of conduct. It is our charge to compete with sportsmanship, true to the rules, fully seasoned with class and integrity, for this pleases God.
"I know my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity." (1 Chronicles 29:17)
Copyright (c) 2000, 2001, TTNL Reprinted with permission