Bringing good sportsmanship into our lives

By Lionel Wijesiri

2014 Pakistan vs Sri Lanka First Test Match - Galle. Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lankan prolific left-handed run-scorer made his tenth double century by scoring 221 in the first innings. Commenting on his achievement, he said, “I think everyone is second to Don (Bradman). I am pretty happy that I have two double tons behind him because that is probably the only way I can even get close to reaching him.”

Olympics 2012 - London. The swimming world was shocked when 26-year-old Norwegian Alexander Dale Oen, the world champion in the 100m breaststroke, was found dead in his hotel room after a heart attack during a training camp. Dale Oen’s opponent, Hungarian Daniel Gyurta, went on to win Olympic gold.

Gyurta wanted to make an exact replica of his gold medal and deliver to the Dale Oen family. Since the IOC does not allow replica medals, Gyurta instead had a special gold medal commissioned which he presented at the Norwegian Sports Gala in January 2013.

In a speech given, Gyurta said, “Alexander was not only a fantastic competitor but also a great man and a true friend. I’m convinced that he would have won the gold medal at the Olympics, so this medal represents what he couldn’t achieve due to his tragic death.”

Olympics 1972 - Sapporo, Japan. The Soviet Union was a heavy favourite to defend its Olympic gold medal in the men’s biathlon 4×7.5km relay. (Biathlon is the sporting event combining rifle shooting and cross-country skiing). The lead-off man was Alexander Tikhonov, who had been part of the gold medal-winning squad four years earlier. But during his leg, Tikhonov took a misstep and broke a ski.

Tikhonov forced himself to keep going on one ski until Dieter Speer, a member of the East German team that was considered a top rival to the Soviets, gave Tikhonov one of his reserve skis. Before long, Tikhonov was back on his feet he was able to keep pace with the lead group. The Soviets won gold while Speer and the East Germans ended up with the bronze.

True spirit

If you’re interested in sports, you’ve heard hundreds of such stories and seen a few of them really happen. You’ve probably even experienced it. It’s all part of sportsmanship, a great tradition in sports and competition that means playing clean and handling both victory and defeat with grace, style, and dignity.

Athletes, whether in field, track or ring, are competitive. That’s what most thrive on. They play because they want to win. But exhibiting good sportsmanship can be more rewarding than the win.

What is Sportsmanship?

Sportsmanship is not only a physical activity but also a mental attitude. Participation in sports requiring physical stamina and mental concentration is indisputably sportsmanship. But sportsmanship is more importantly an attitude and a definite psychological response to situations. Of the two dimensions, the latter is more crucial.

The projection of the true spirit of sports into everyday life is real sportsmanship. The person who is proficient in games but who lacks this psychological dimension is a shortened version of a sportsman.

Sportsmanship implies a sense of fair play and obedience to accepted rules. A foul occurs when a person contravenes these rules and as consequences he or his team is penalised. This sense of fair play is translated into life as on in pulse of honesty, integrity and a feeling of consideration for other people.

Another part of respecting the game rules is always trying your best. If you are not trying your best, you’re disrespecting your team as well as the game. Even the best professional athletes make embarrassing errors, but they are not nearly as embarrassing as having a negative outcome due to lack of confidence and hard work.

Sportsmanship means a proper regard for and understanding of the concept of leadership. It is to be noted that leadership does not necessitate the team to lose their individuality or the leader to become authoritarian.

Leadership is the element of team spirit. Every member recognises that his interest are bound up with that of the team and the individual attempts to achieve glory at another’s cost will not only result in failure but also shower infamy upon the person.

Sportsmanship means acceptance of failure in a spirit of cheerfulness. Like life, sports are tough and may not be always fair. Therefore, sports can be a wonderful training ground for life’s challenges. Just like we all win some and lose some in sports, we also deal with plenty of successes and failures in our lives.

Failures in life, like in sports, should not be debilitating, but a path to greater wisdom and a motivational tool to succeed. Sports are full of failure. Star cricketers fail to get a hit 7 of 10 times; star football players miss 50 percent of their shots; and even the best quarterbacks throw interceptions.

Thomas Edison tried 10, 000 times before he managed to find the solution for the electric bulb. It was tough bit he never gave up. Everest was not conquered on the very first expedition. Similarly aeroplanes did not develop as the consequence of a single attempt at flight.

Our greatest successes in life are not the ones that come easily but the ones we had to work the hardest to achieve. We are often inspired by those who have faced the most difficult of life’s challenges and have still persevered with dignity and grace.

Cut-throat competition

Winning in life may mean a big promotion over a co-worker, scoring the sale with the big commission, or winning an election. As in winning in sports, these are times when humility is better received than arrogance and boasting. It may not be too long before you are on the other side and people will remember your actions.

While it is easy to recognise the indicators of sportsmanship, it is becoming tough to recognise its presence in the world of today. International sports events, have become an arena where nations fight with fierce determination for supremacy.

Rules are broken with impunity. The only end is to win. Significantly enough, the sports arena reflects the ethos of cut throat competition and aggressive rat-race that marks modern life. Instead of sportsmanship influencing life for the good, the degrading aspects of life are seeping into the world of sports. This situation is to be deplored.

We should continuously strive to improve ourselves in life, just as in sports. Those who respect others, handle failure with grace, and manage success with humility, will not only be better team-mates, students, employees and citizens. They will also be viewed as leaders on their school teams, in their professions and in their communities.