The game was progressing at a fast and furious rate! All players were giving 100 percent. All of a sudden, a loud blast of the referee’s whistle filled the gymnasium. A foul was called on one of the leading players. How did this man react? Did he take the call and carry on with the game? No.
Slamming the basketball to the wooden floor, he walked off the court and smashed his hands onto the court’s wall mats in a display more befitting a rebellious kindergarten child. How disappointing.
The team’s captain strove to calm this player, but the damage had been done. The whole team was dragged down by the unsportsmanlike conduct of this one individual. His team was then thrashed by the opposition who, incidentally, displayed a higher degree of sportsmanship after this childish tantrum.
Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Incidents such as this are not uncommon; they occur at all levels of sport. In the U.S., basketball players have headbutted, pushed and shoved referees because decisions did not go their way. Some punch opponents in the face. This kind of conduct is nothing short of disgraceful and an outrage! And this is just within the non-contactsport of basketball!
In worldwide sport, we see no real difference. In cricket, scuffles and jostling among batsmen, fielders and umpires continue. Today, Rugby League and Union are commonly portrayed as “gladiator sports,” with brawling, spitting, swearing and coat-hanging (hitting a player from the neck up). Soccer is another sport more worthy of Grammy award status. Players fall to the ground pretending to be in pain, striving to trick the umpire. In this sport, a simple handshake or pat on the back is not enough when a fellow player scores. Now we have the “kissy-cuddle” technique, a pathetic, disgusting display of unsportsmanlike conduct. In tennis, players continually argue and swear at both umpires and spectators. In American football, a player now scores a touchdown and then proceeds to cha-cha, tango, jive, waltz, slow-rhythm and rap dance in an overwhelming glow of self-exaltation. These are just a fewsamples of the worldwide degeneration of sportsmanship.
Win at All Costs
Today, winning is perceived as all that matters.
A leading sportswriter once stated, “The problem with sports today is that the players have become bigger than the game.” That statement is indeed telling. When sports stars earn $15 million per season, plus corporate endorsements, sports becomes mere business, and big business at that! Gone are the days where you would play for the love of the game.
Coaches know better than most that the world loves a winner and has little or no time for a loser. Winning brings with it great financial benefits: endorsements, sponsorships, scholarships, renewed contracts, player bonuses. Cities go to great lengths to keep “their team” in their city—mainly for the financial payoffs in exposure, tourism and ticket sales. Players find themselves in a “paid to win” situation.
With all of this attention given to athletes, no wonder children, teenagers and adults alike strive to emulate sports icons. Today, we have a generation which mimics the brats of tennis, gladiators of football and sulkingly complacent cricket players. Very few take a stand against the norm.
Tolerance is now to the point where officials and sporting organization board members expect a certain degree ofunsportsmanlike conduct—instead of nipping it in the bud and stopping it before it starts. This fuels the “win at all cost” attitude. Frenzied spectators now expect their quota of violence in sports. The media has fed the monster by glorifying violence in sports as sporting strength and power. Administrators, officials and some players express concern, but do nothing about it.
True Values of Sportsmanship
What is the major purpose of sports? It is to teach and instill true values and proper attitudes in those who play, coach and officiate. This is a vital ingredient in building character. Being a true sportsman or sportswoman is all about building character! Did you ever view sports in that light before? Sports build positive or negative character in those who participate. It is often said, “If you really want to get to know someone, play sports with them.” Sports bring out either the best in a person or the worst. Which of these pertains to you? Do you build character or tear it down when you play sports? Let’s look at five values that make up a good sport.
Attitude
Harming your opponent to gain an advantage or the winning edge is wrong. To self-righteously beat the air with your hands after a win is wrong. But to strive to do your best, or to assist your team to do its best, is right. Winning or losing is the by-product of two teams or individuals striving to do their best. Our focus should be both on doing our best and striving to win, but not allowing that desire to stand in the way of our other focus, which is to play the game with the best attitude. Follow the attitude of our team captain, Jesus Christ. Think of how He would react, not only in sports, but in all circumstances and situations you experience.
Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of Ambassador College, taught, “When there is a spirit of hostility toward the other side—then it does break God’s law. Therefore, at Ambassador College, intercollegiate competition is prohibited. Butintramural games between our own classes occur” (The Plain Truth, July-August 1984). Mr. Armstrong was an authority on sportsmanship.
The competitive spirit alive today is authored by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4) and has influenced all sports on Earth. Satan’s way is the “me, myself and I first” philosophy. He, as the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), transmits attitudes and feelings of competition, strife and resentment. He, as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), has successfully devouredthe art of sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is indeed a lost art and those who practice it correctly are few and far between.
You must set the example in this world of twisted sports and uphold the true art of sportsmanship. Your attitude in sports will go a long way in determining both the outcome of the game on the scoreboard, the outcome of the attitudes of those playing the game—as well as the proportion of character you build.
Courage
The second value necessary to become a good sport is courage. The quality of courage enables us to meet obstacles in life with resolute firmness. You need courage.
“Ever since the operation that removed his right leg above the knee on March 8, Terry Fox knows his high hopes to play basketball for Simon Fraser University are shattered ….
“Painful chemotherapy and the agonized moans of fellow cancer patients harden his resolve. The 18-year-old … pens a letter to the Canadian Cancer Society ….
“The letter outlines an awesome proposal: to jog on an artificial leg across the entire 5,300 mile span of Canada in a spectacular bid to dramatize the plight of the handicapped and raise money for research …” (Youth 83, “A Teenage Dream That Stirred a Nation”).
Although Terry Fox died before making it across Canada, due to the severe stress the running put on his body, his courage and determination inspired millions worldwide.
This example of raw courage has been imprinted on my mind since reading it back in 1983. Never giving in—and asking God, in fervent effectual prayer, to bolster our courage and help us to overcome “insurmountable” odds—will ensure that we have the godly value of courage. For with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Endurance
It’s easy to give up when the odds are against us; but it’s hard to continue and endure, persevere and display the quality Herbert Armstrong called “stick-to-it-iveness.” Without endurance, character building will be incomplete.
Our Creator came to Earth in the form of a man and wrestled with Jacob, the one who was renamed Israel. “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Genesis 32:24-30).
Jacob actually wrestled with his Creator! Even when his thigh was put out of joint, he still tenaciously continued to endure, displaying true stick-to-it-iveness. God, seeing this quality in Jacob, blessed him greatly for it. We, too, can receive blessings as Jacob did. The promises are there, but the prod is on us (Revelation 3:12, 21; Matthew 24:46-47; Hebrews 2:1-8).
Patience
Sports, like life, has its obstacles, delays, trials, failures and stresses. As sportsmen and sportswomen, we must learn to meet these difficulties with calmness, composure and without complaint. We must recognize that we won’t become undisputed champions of the world overnight. It is a growth process. It takes time to practice your skills and raise your level of consistency. It has been said that “practice makes perfect.” It is important not to be easily discouraged. By practice, your skill levels will increase.
Playing sports is a positive way to develop patience. For instance, a marathon is a very long race in which much can occur. If the runner paces correctly, or shows patience, he or she has a better opportunity to win.
Remember, it’s never over till it’s over. Many hopeless games are won in the last 3 to 5 seconds. The development of patience will further your composure and ability when on and off the field of play.
PATIENCE: DO YOU HAVE IT?
A quick test:
- How patient are you with sporting officials, umpires and your teammates?
- Do you argue with them or berate them?
- Do you run down those of lesser ability—displaying a self-righteous attitude?
- As a spectator, do you boo, shout, swear and curse officials and/or the other team?
- How do you react to a wrong decision? (Read 1 Peter 2:19-21.)
If we are falling down on these points, that shows our disrespect for authority and, yes, disrespect for government! Are you an example of sportsmanship both on and off the field?
Teamwork
Team sports help you learn how to get along better with others, interact with other players and sacrifice personalglory for the benefit of the team. Teamwork promotes selflessness, sharing, sacrifice and outflowing concern for the welfare of others—the give way. Teamwork should serve to root out attitudes of selfishness, egotism, envy, strife andcriticism. These negative traits, if allowed, will swiftly evaporate true team spirit and greatly damage the effectiveness of the team (1 John 4:8).
The Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25). Do we run both our physical race and spiritual race with this in mind? Do we run to win and obtain the prize physically and also run to win spiritually, to obtain that imperishable crown? That’s what we must be doing as members of any sporting team and as vital members of God’s spiritual team. If you strive to apply these values in your sporting and spiritual life, you will find that they will become godly habits.
Remember, being a true sportsman or sportswoman is all about building character. In sports, we must work together, supporting each other in cooperation, living the give way of outflowing concern for the good and welfare of others.
It’s How You Play the Game
It has often been said, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” Be sure to review your performance after each sporting event, just as you should evaluate each and every circumstance occurring in your life. Search out areas you can improve on. Then, in the next sporting situation, you will react in the correct manner.
Remove unsportsmanlike conduct, the win-at-all-costs attitude. Recapture the five true values of sportsmanship—attitude, courage, endurance, patience and teamwork. Raise your standards. Remove anger from your sporting life. Learn to set the example. You can do it! You will win some and lose some. But remember, you will be known positively or negatively by how you played the game.