Sportsmanship is one of the key components to the philosophy of Americas SCORES. Due to recent actions of professional players not shaking hands after losing in the NBA conference finals and winning the Stanley Cup (NHL Finals), Responsible Sports wrote an article on sportsmanship and why it is important to introduce it to young athletes.
For the full article please click here.
Here is an excerpt from the article.
The experts at Positive Coaching Alliance help remind us: how an athlete handles a loss is just as important as how he or she handles a victory. Sports psychologist Jim Fannin has been quoted as saying, "You can still be looked at as tenacious, unwavering, a closer and a winner, but when you lose you need to be gracious. How you handle a loss dictates how you are going to go forward."
Introducing your athletes to the tradition of good sportsmanship is an important element of practicing Responsible Sports. And it does take practice!
•Seek moments during practice when you can encourage your players to congratulate their opponents. Sometimes it’s easier to learn about honoring opponents during a practice because your “opponents” are your teammates.
•Consider staying after your game is over to watch another two teams compete and congratulate the winning team’s fans who appreciated their skills.
•Parents can walk across the aisle in the stands to congratulate the opposing team's parents and set a powerful example for youth athletes. Or how about parents actually hitting the field after a game to say congratulations to the opposing soccer forward who scored the winning goal? Talk about a powerful example!
•At home, look for examples of good sportsmanship and talk about them with your kids. And at the same time, bring up examples of poor sportsmanship and get your kids’ perspective. You might be surprised to hear that kids, sometimes even more than adults, value good sportsmanship and see the issue as very black-and-white, right-and-wrong.
Outside of wins and losses, athletes can also honor their opponents by how they behave during the game: helping a running back up off the field after a tough tackle, kicking the ball out of play when an opposing player goes down with an injury, checking to see if the catcher is okay after a fastball hits his helmet. Or consider Milwaukee Brewers first baseman, Prince Fielder, who nearly hit a grand slam home run but instead found himself tipping his batting helmet to Cubs outfielder Reed Johnson who made an amazing catch.
Whether it’s a handshake, a hug, or a high five, respect for opponents is an important element of Responsible Sports and one we hope you’re celebrating in your community.
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