Etiquette

Sportsmanship Basics

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.