The Importance of Sportsmanship
in Youth Sports
A young basketball player takes a cheap
shot at her opponent and does not get caught by the
referee. After the game, she gloats about the action and
her teammates congratulate her on the move.
After placing
second in the finals of the 100-meter freestyle, a
disappointed swimmer walks away from an opponent's
handshake and throws his goggles on the deck.
The actions of those
individuals may not make the headlines of your local
paper or gain as much press as delinquent athletes. Yet,
those behaviors are unsportsmanlike. Sportsmanship
involves a striving for success, while maintaining a
commitment to being fair, honest, and respectful [and]
to following the rules -- all of which is synonymous
with being ethical or moral. (See references 5
and 8 below.) In fact, young athletes (10-18 years)
identified five dimensions to sportsmanship:
-
A full commitment to sport participation.
-
Respect for the rules and officials.
-
Concern for social conventions (such as being a good
loser).
-
Respect for opponents.
-
Avoidance of the winning-at-all-costs
mentality. (12)
In regard to those
definitions, the behaviors illustrated in the opening
scenarios are clearly outside the lines of
sportsmanship. The question that arises is, Where
did those athletes learn unsportsmanlike behaviors? And
the more pressing question for sports leaders, What
is the role of sport in nurturing sportsmanlike or
unsportsmanlike behavior? It is contended that the
choices made by an athlete to engage in sportsmanlike
conduct depend, in part, on how the sport is structured
by administrators, coaches, parents, and fans.
Children learn moral
behavior from engaging with others, watching the
behaviors of others, and/or being taught ethical
behavior. Sportsmanship attitudes and behaviors are
learned in a like manner. Therefore, being involved in
sport alone is not sufficient to ensure that
participants will learn sportsmanlike attitudes and
behaviors. Rather it is the "social interactions that
are fostered by the sport experience" that will
determine the benefit of sport to athletes. (8)
[Achieving that benefit] requires that designated
leaders within the sport take action to teach ethical
and moral behavior in sport.
STRUCTURING SPORT FOR
SPORTSMANSHIP
How sport is structured
by the community, administrators, and coaches can
determine whether or not children learn sportsmanlike
behaviors. The emphasis within the sport program becomes
the [means] by which the child learns what is
appropriate and/or acceptable behavior. Research has
shown that the philosophy of a program, the goals for
the team, and the teaching and modeling behaviors of
adults can influence sportsmanlike behaviors.
The philosophy
underlying a program can have an impact on what athletes
perceive as appropriate behavior in a sport. Youth in
Tai Kwon Do reported lower levels of anxiety and
aggression, increased self-esteem, and improved social
skills in comparison to those students who received only
self-defense skills. (11) Participation in sport
does not necessarily lead to sportsmanlike behavior (in
this case, lower aggression and improved social skills)
unless sportsmanship (in the form of reflection and
meditation) is emphasized within the program.
An overemphasis on
winning in a sport may also cloud perceptions of moral
behavior. For example, boys engaged in a Kickball World
Series were less likely to be cooperative than boys who
were just given the opportunity to engage in free play
were. The authors concluded that an "emphasis on winning
in organized sport may lead children to become rivalrous
in social interactions with other children," which may
in turn lead to a decline in helping others. (6)
Overemphasis on winning in sport can also lead
individuals (athletes, coaches, and parents alike) to
engage in antisocial or delinquent behaviors aimed at
trying to gain an advantage to win. For example, a
mother forged a birth certificate for her 17-year-old
son so that he could play in a league for 14-year-olds;
and a coach secretly injected oranges with amphetamines,
and then fed them to his unknowing 10- to 12-year-old
football players to get them up for a game. (9)
Research suggests that
the goals emphasized by an individual or a program may
impact moral development/sportsmanlike behavior. (3,
4, 10) Athletes who focus on self-mastery and
personal improvement (ie., task-oriented) are more
likely to perceive the purpose of sport as teaching
values such as working hard, cooperating with others,
and becoming good citizens. Further, those athletes did
not endorse cheating and expressed approval for
sportsmanlike behaviors in contrast to individuals who
placed an emphasis on beating others (e.g.,
ego-oriented). Individuals who focused on beating others
more often viewed intentional, injurious acts as
legitimate and were more tempted to violate
sportsmanship attitudes and behaviors.
Teaching and modeling
appropriate behaviors can...enhance sportsmanlike
behaviors. For example, two moral intervention programs
were introduced at a youth sport camp. The first
(structural developmental) involved teaching one moral
concept a week (e.g., fairness, sharing, aggression)
over five weeks. The instructors also exposed moral
issues as they arose in play and coached children to
appropriate resolutions of the issues. Children (ages 5
to 7) in this intervention program understood the
differences between right and wrong better than those
who did not receive such training (ie., control group).
The second intervention involved the instructor just
demonstrating moral behavior when appropriate. This
group also did better than a control group (who only
participated in the sport program); however, this
intervention was slightly less effective than the first
intervention. (2) Children, thus, learn moral
(sportsmanlike) behavior directly from instruction and
indirectly by observing the responses of coaches and
parents.
CREATING A CLIMATE
THAT FOSTERS SPORTSMANSHIP ATTITUDE
The key to improving
the quality of sport experiences for young athletes is
to emphasize the totality of the sport experience rather
than just playing the game. (9) This concept
means structuring a program philosophy for
sportsmanship, being prepared to teach moral reasoning
when situations occur, and monitoring your own
behavioral (verbal and nonverbal) responses to
situations. Programs can create a climate that fosters
the development of sportsmanship by establishing a
positive philosophy, striving for excellence, teaching
moral principles, and providing positive role models.
Program
Philosophy. A philosophy aimed
at sportsmanship should focus on conveying sportsmanlike
attitudes and behaviors to athletes. This philosophy
suggests a more thoughtful approach to creating ethical
standards within a team by setting up guidelines for
appropriate behavior and providing opportunities within
practices to incorporate sportsmanlike ideals. If this
approach has already been adopted, it is also important
to examine the coaching philosophy and compare it to
where efforts are directed. Are [coaching] behaviors in
line with [philosophy]?
-
Do I scream or yell at my players often?
-
Have I ever blamed a loss on an official?
-
Would I promote animosity between two teammates to
motivate them?
-
Would I run up the score on an opponent for any
reason?
-
Do I treat my players differently after a loss than
after a win?
Answering "yes" to any of those questions requires a
reexamination of program philosophy and behaviors.
Striving for
Excellence. John Wooden in his
many successful years of coaching always emphasized
striving for excellence. As long as athletes are putting
forth the effort and attempting to achieve new heights,
success can be realized. That process did not mean that
winning would always occur, or that winning was placed
at the top of the list; rather, it laid the [foundation]
for future success for both the team and the individual.
"Everyone can be a success because success relates to
the effort put into realizing one's personal potential."
(9) Children should focus on skill mastery, feeling
better about themselves (ie., improving their perceived
ability), and enjoying their sport experience. Coaches
should remind themselves that striving for excellence
will lead to many future successes and, more
importantly, will provide a positive experience for
young athletes.
Teaching Moral
Principles. Teaching athletes
moral principles will also help build sportsmanlike
behaviors. Coaches are encouraged to look for teachable
moments when moral dilemmas arise on the floor or in
practice in order to guide young athletes. For example,
when a young swimmer refuses to shake an opponent's hand
and makes a scene, the coach can use that moment to
teach the athlete appropriate behavior. Teaching the
athlete to view an opponent as a vehicle to challenge
personal skills, and that a personal best time is a goal
to strive for and nothing to be disappointed in, allows
the coach to shape the sportsmanlike attitudes and
behaviors of young athletes. Teaching sportsmanlike
behaviors may also be aimed at overcoming the accepted
norm of a sport that is emphasized by society (e.g.,
starting a fight in hockey). By practicing and being
guided through ethical dilemmas in sport, athletes
commit themselves to the principles perceived in the
environment. Therefore, rather than sport being dictated
by social norms, the coach becomes a vehicle for
teaching positive moral principles.
Being a
Positive Role Model. As noted
earlier, modeling sportsmanlike (moral) behaviors within
the sporting environment increases children's level of
sportsmanlike behaviors. Thus, what coaches do on the
playing field or in the gym sends a message about
appropriate behaviors to the children. To help in this
endeavor, the following checklist (5) for
monitoring our behaviors may serve as a guide:
-
Is it right?
-
Is it against the rules?
-
Is it fair to everyone involved?
-
Would my ethical role models do it?
Coaches should be ethical role models for young athletes
through their own actions and through structuring sport
for sportsmanship.
Sport provides many
opportunities to teach sportsmanship; however, [the
result] clearly depends on how coaches, parents,
administrators, and practitioners structure sport
experiences. By emphasizing sportsmanlike ideals in
sports programs, coaches can create a climate that
fosters the development of sportsmanship while also
striving for excellence.
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