With college/university students, begin by offering the definitions of sportsmanship, gamesmanship and Arête:

Sportsmanship - conduct and attitude considered as befitting participants in sports, especially fair play, courtesy, striving spirit, and grace in winning and losing.

Discussion of the Meaning of Sportsmanship

Engage the students in the meaning of sportsmanship/fair play
Ask the students to give examples of sportsmanship/fair play
Be prepared to cite your examples of sportsmanship/fair play

Gamesmanship - The art or practice of winning games by questionable means without actually breaking the game’s rules, but violating their spirit; or the use of ethically dubious methods to gain an objective.

The Meaning of Gamesmanship

Ask the students their opinion of gamesmanship tactics.
Ask the students for examples of gamesmanship they have observed in various sports.
Provide your own examples of gamesmanship in various sports.
Tell the students about the fascinating result of a survey that Dan Doyle conducted for his book “The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting”. Dan surveyed 500 of the most successful individuals in the United States. Eighty-six percent of these individuals indicated that they had played sports in their youth. Of this group of 86%, 98% said that the experience had been helpful. Among the most important points they addressed is the fact that sports helped them to become “honorable competitors.” Many mentioned that gamesmanship tactics in sports often lead to unethical practices throughout life. Lead a discussion on this issue.

Arête - the aggregate of qualities, as valor and virtue, making up good character. In ancient Greek society, a person of Arête was one who competed energetically but within the rules.

College/University DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What is sportsmanship? Can it be taught? Who taught you?

2. What is gamesmanship? Cite examples of gamesmanship. What ethical problems are raised by the use of gamesmanship tactics?

3. Look up the meaning and history of the word “Arête.” Discuss Arête not only as a word, but as a concept. Why was a “person of Arête” so admired in ancient Greek society?

4. In Dan Doyle’s book, “The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting,” he devotes an entire chapter to the importance of self-control – emotional regulation – “competitive self-restraint” as he calls it in the book. What are the disadvantages of losing one’s self-control in a sports competition? What are the disadvantages of losing one’s self-control in other life situations? What are the advantages of employing competitive self-restraint in a sports contest? What are the advantages of employing competitive self-restraint in a life situation?

5. In Dan’s book, a chapter entitled, “A Values-Based Sports Parenting Philosophy,” proposes that empathy is not only at the core of a moral society, but also has a place in sports - even at the highest levels of competition. What role, if any, should empathy have in sports competition? What are some examples of when empathy should come into play in a sports competition?

6. It is often stated that athletes are held to a higher standard of behavior than other students. Is this true? Should it be true? If an athlete engages in some form of misbehavior, from fighting in a game to use of alcohol or drugs, what are the effects of his or her actions on:

The athlete himself/herself?
The team?
The athlete’s family?
The school?

7. Do you think professional athletes are role models? Do they have a duty to serve as role models, even if they do not want to be, because of their media exposure?

8. Are you a role model to younger athletes? Why or why not?

9. In discussing the value of competitive restraint, Dan’s book uses the term, “Don’t punch back, play harder.” What is your view about fighting in sports? Is fighting ever an acceptable action? What role, if any, should sports have as a positive societal force? If it does have a role, then how can fighting be tolerated at any level of sport?

10. Why is fighting perceived to be more acceptable in some sports, such as hockey, than in others?

11. Martin McSorley was found guilty of assault with a weapon for smashing an opponent in the head with a stick during an NHL game. He served no jail time, but was not allowed on the same ice as Donald Brashear, the victim of his assault. Do you think the Canadian legal system should be able to punish an athlete for a game-incident or should the NHL be responsible? The NHL did suspend him for 23 games. Was that an adequate punishment?

12. Do professional sports have an ethical commitment to curb violence?

13. Do you think trash talking and taunting is an acceptable way of gaining a competitive edge?

14. Are there certain forms of trash talking that are playful, and thus acceptable?

15. How should the “recipient” react to trash talking?

16. Many sports video games contain examples of poor sportsmanship. Do you think sport video games should include trash talking, showboating, and other acts of poor sportsmanship? Do you think this will have a negative affect on the young kids who play these games?

17. Allen Iverson, of the Denver Nuggets, recorded a rap album that contains violent references and derogatory terms about gays, women and blacks. He met with David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA, and Allen agreed to take steps to eliminate offensive lyrics from the final version of his rap album. Do you think Allen has the right to release an album that contains violent references and derogatory terms about gays, women and blacks? How do you compare this to former Atlanta Braves’ pitcher John Rocker, who made insensitive comments of a racial nature in a Sports Illustrated article?

18. Is it ever acceptable to use performance-enhancing drugs to gain competitive advantage? Do you think that those who use performance-enhancing drugs put pressure on those who don’t wish to use in order to “keep up?” Is this ethical?

Fan Behavior

19. In Dan’s book, he quotes basketball great, Bob Cousy, as objecting to the cowardice of those “emboldened by the anonymity of the crowd.” How do you feel about this statement?

20. Where is the line regarding fan behavior?

Are racial taunts ever acceptable?
Are taunts regarding a player’s physical appearance ever acceptable?
Are taunts about a player’s family ever acceptable?
Are taunts about a player’s background, including perhaps a prior arrest, ever acceptable?
Are taunts about a player’s nationality ever acceptable?

21. What is the line - “The Mean” - between healthy cheering and taunting?

22. Are those protected by the anonymity of the crowd cowards when they taunt players?

23. Should those in the crowd have any concern about displaying class, and thus reflecting well on their school and athletic program?

Beware of the Fallacy of the Innocent Past!

Dan Doyle devotes five full chapters in his the “Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting” to various sportsmanship issues. Included in one of the chapters is the old saying, “beware of the fallacy of the innocent past.” Many who study the history of sports recognize that sportsmanship was, by no means, perfect, nor necessarily practiced on a consistent basis, in years past. Ask your students to research past sports eras, with particular attention to baseball players like Ty Cobb, gambling scandals in sports such as baseball, basketball and football, and the vile racism that was very much a part of the sports culture in the “innocent past.” Lead a discussion about sportsmanship and the “innocent past.”

The Five Principles of Honorable Competition

Read to the students the five principles of honorable competition, from Dan Doyle’s “The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting”:

1. Respect the game. This includes showing respect for opponents, referees, coaches and fans.

2. Play by the rules, and within the spirit of the rules. Don’t try to get away with cheating or taking shortcuts just because you think no one will notice or catch you. The only real victories are honest victories, untainted by cheating or gamesmanship.

3. Play your best, and understand that doing your best does not mean embarrassing or humiliating your opponent.

4. Don’t punch back, play harder. When provoked, an athlete should ascend to the highest level of honorable competition by increasing focus and intensity, not by reacting in an undisciplined, unproductive way.

5. Employ competitive self-restraint – play hard but with self-control.

· Discuss these principles with the students

The Dirty Dozen

Read to the students the “Dirty Dozen” from Dan Doyle’s “The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting”:

1. Fighting, even if another player starts or attempts to start a fight.

2. Any form of cheating, such as dishonest line calls or fouls.

3. Gamesmanship tactics, including harassment, heckling, trash talking, or other questionable methods to gain competitive advantage.

4. Scolding, bullying, teasing, or humiliating one’s teammate. At times, high school and college players, especially team captains, appropriately exhort or chastise other teammates, but this is different from simply scolding a youngster who is less skilled or makes a mistake.

5. Arguing with referees, coaches, teammates or fans.

6. Blaming others for your personal errors.

7. Throwing tantrums or displays of anger after a mistake, loss, or poor performance.

8. Selfish behavior, including ball hogging, bragging and failure to respect team rules.

9. Intentionally aggressive physical acts which are not part of a competitive, fairly played game. This includes contact intended to hurt someone, to illegally stop or to impede a player, or retaliate and get revenge.

10. Confrontational stances or faces conveying an “I dare you” or an “I can intimidate you” attitude.

11. Extreme attention getting or self-congratulatory posturing after a touchdown, home run, or basket. This is different from hugging or congratulating a teammate.

12. Profanity or vulgar language.

Discuss the Dirty Dozen with the students

The Nine Rules of “Competitive Self-Restraint”

Talk to the students about the meaning of self-control – “Competitive Self-Restraint” as Dan describes in his “The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting.”
Elicit the students’ opinions on the importance of self-control
Read to the students the nine rules of “Competitive Self-Restraint”:

1. There will be times when you get bumped, hit or shoved. Be prepared for such possibilities, and try not to take them personally or allow them to upset you.

2. Whether you are accidentally or intentionally hit, tripped or hurt by someone, do not hit back, retaliate or argue with other players.

3. You must step back and let the officials and coaches deal with any problems. When stepping back, avoid confrontational eye contact, posturing or nasty comments, because they can provoke a fight.

4. Very few athletes play well when they lose control. If you become angry, upset or hit someone, negative consequences could result, including:

· Hurting another player or yourself.

· Losing your focus on the game.

· Embarrassing yourself, your team, your coach, and your family.

· Getting penalized or kicked out of the game.

· Getting suspended from future games.

· Getting kicked off of the team.

· Disrupting your team’s concentration.

5. Self-control requires mental practice to prevent being caught off guard when an incident occurs. (It is wise to discuss problem scenarios and desired responses with young athletes).

6. Practice the “don’t punch back, play harder” motto. Whenever you are provoked in a practice, scrimmage or game, repeat this motto to yourself.

7. Never use profanity or trash talking when addressing other players, coaches, officials or spectators. Such tactics could spin out of control and provoke a fight.

8. Never assume it is acceptable to copy poor behavior of sports professionals, whether it is fighting, verbal or physical intimidation, or arguing with others. Athletic skill alone does not make someone a true role model. A true athletic role model is one who combines athletic skill with good sportsmanship, good character, self-control and hard work.

9. Play as hard as you can, but within the rules.

Discussion Questions and Right-versus-Right Conundrums

Part of Plato’s philosophy was to foster the practice of teaching and learning through dialogue.

The goals of National Sportsmanship Day encompass Plato’s philosophy as well as critical thinking, which requires and enables us to look at things from all sides, and to analyze competing ideas.

- In a recent national survey, 100% of the surveyed college faculty responded that the most important goal of the college experience was to develop the ability to think critically.

The following discussion questions and right-versus-right conundrums should help to foster discussion and critical thinking among students, coaches, teachers, and parents alike.

Discussing Sportsmanship Issues: The Right-vs-Right Method

The Institute for International Sport has found that a compelling way to approach sportsmanship is through a Right-vs-Right discussion. Right-vs-Right discussions involve topics that carry some degree of “rightness” on both sides of the issue. Here are three middle school level Right-vs-Right conundrums that will serve as the basis for fascinating discussion and analysis among students, teachers, coaches, and parents.

RIGHT-VS-RIGHT CONUNDRUMS:

College/University LEVEL

Scenario 1

Situation: Thorpe College is battling for a playoff position in the NCAA soccer tournament, but has to finish at least second in their conference to do so. Their rivals for the second spot, Kelly College, are playing Westport University, which has already clinched the conference championship. Thorpe needs to win their final game to have even a chance of qualifying. But they also need a little help - if Kelly beats Westport, or even ties them, then Kelly earns the second playoff spot in their stead. Thorpe does its part, defeating its opponent, 1-0. Now it comes down to the Kelly-Westport match, played later that evening. The Thorpe team eagerly awaits the result that night, only to find that Kelly has beaten Westport, 2-1, thereby snatching second place and a trip to the NCAA’s. But the players are shocked to find out that Westport rested its starters for the entire second half, after leading 1-0 at the interval. Their coach wanted to make sure that his squad was fresh and injury-free heading into the postseason tournament. So, Kelly’s comeback came against Westport’s subs. Is this fair to Thorpe’s team?

Conundrum: Westport performed tremendously well throughout the regular season and, by securing the conference championship, earned the right to rest their players in preparation for the NCAA’s. So, it is right for Westport’s coach to have benched his starters against Kelly. However, fair play and honorable competition demand that both teams give their maximum effort at all times. So, it would also have been right for Westport to play their starters in the second half, thereby increasing Thorpe’s playoff hopes at the expense of Kelly’s.

Scenario 2

Situation: Johnny was a senior on the State College wrestling team. His brother, Daniel, was a sophomore at State University down the road. Though not on the wrestling team, Daniel was friendly with many of the team’s members. Three days before the heated intrastate match-up, Daniel informed Johnny that his would-be opponent had been nursing a sore left knee for the last week. The guy planned to wrestle in the meet, but his knee was definitely bothering him. Johnny and his opponent stepped onto the mat for their 185-pound match-up, and they were fairly even heading into the second period. Knowing that he needed to win his match to secure a team victory for SC, Johnny shot a single-leg takedown on his opponent’s weakened left knee. As his opponent shrieked in pain, Johnny was able to pin him, ensuring his team’s victory. Was Johnny right to take advantage of the information that Daniel had provided him? Was Daniel right in providing this confidential information to Johnny?

Conundrum: As both coaches and participants know, wrestling is a dangerous sport. So, if Johnny’s opponent was unfit to wrestle due to his injury, he should have been removed from the meet. Therefore, since he was allowed to wrestle, Johnny was right to attack him as he would any other opponent, assuming that he had been cleared by appropriate medical personnel. However, any athletes will tell you that they often compete despite nagging injuries. And, knowingly inflicting an injury on an opponent may not violate the sport’s rules, but it does threaten their spirit. So, Johnny would also have been right to work hard to beat his opponent, trying to outmaneuver him instead of intentionally hurting him, based on the confidential information provided to him by his brother.

The Fourth Amendment and Performance Enhancing Drugs

Click-on the “Special Discussion Topic” on our website for a fascinating discussion on this issue.