Where Men Can Become Better Gentlemen

Etiquette

Sportsmanship Basics

A Good Sport

A gentleman always displays good sportsmanship; this is regardless whether he is a competitor, spectator, member of management (captain, coach, manager, trainer etc.) or simply an adult overseeing children e.g. Father teaching/playing with his children.

A Good Spirit

The Complete Gentleman has a commitment to integrity and ethical behaviour with the key emphasis on fair play at all times. No matter what the sport or game, he has and maintains that essential sporting spirit.

Main Principles of a Gentlemanly Sporting Spirit

1. Mutually agreed rules which are understood by all participants. No avoidance of the rules is permitted, they should be applied indiscriminately, or it is not a sport.

2. Mutual respect for yourself and all participants. Always give another participant the benefit of the doubt; even if it costs you a point, you are the bigger person!

3. No unfair bias – “May the best man win” or the grammatically correct phrase “May the better man win”.

4. Play for plays sake, not just to win. A gentleman does not need a win “at any cost” to boost his own self-worth.

Competition?

Sport is competitive by design and there is nothing like a competitive spirit to bring the worst out in someone. As the embodiment of being a gentleman has declined in real life, so has the behaviour of men on the sports area:

- Players roll around on the field, in displays which would win them Oscars on the screen, at the slightest malpractice in order to try and gain a foul;

- Men cry when they lose;

- Participants argue with the umpire;

- People swear and curse when sent off for blatant fouls enacted by them;

- Competitors and spectators get angry and throw things or start pushing others around, even physically fighting etc.

The list seems almost endless. Make a stand and show everyone how a gentleman conducts himself. Remember, as in life, the gentleman on the sports area is judged not only by how he treats his team mates but more tellingly by how he treats his opponents.

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. - Plato.

Conclusion

Sportsmanship is not just for the sports area but is for any competitive aspect of your life (e.g. work) – are you a true all rounded sportsman? Even the qualities of a good sportsman permeate throughout every area in our lives – the principles of your character are often reflected in your sportsmanship.


Share this page:
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.


Get In Touch

Have a question, query or need clarification...

Contact Us


Monthly Newsletter

Keep up to date, hear about unique items and have gentle reminders on being "The Complete Gentleman."

Sign up here:

Enter Your E-mail Address
Enter Your First Name (optional)
Then

Don't worry — your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you The Complete Gentleman.


Don't Miss A Post

Keep up to date via RSS or another web-based reader:

[?]Subscribe To This Site
  • XML RSS
  • follow us in feedly
  • Add to My Yahoo!
  • Add to My MSN
  • Subscribe with Bloglines