This text is replaced by the Flash movie.

Winning Middle School Essay

Michael Rhys
Grade 8
The Pine School
Stuart, Florida

What Sportsmanship Means to Me

Sportsmanship is a key part of all athletics because it brings out people’s character and leaves an honest impression on the spectators. Sportsmanship is how you act and respond to situations on and off the playing field both in your favor and against your team. It’s about playing with determination and being a gentlemen or lady about it afterwards.

In order to talk about sportsmanship, one needs to know what it is first. Most people feel that it’s just saying “good game” when the match is complete or not getting mad over calls and outcomes of events. But to me, it means a lot more than just that. It’s about playing hard against your opponent but being accepting of the result afterwards. It’s about not acting out or taking your anger out while on the field but more prominently as my coach says, “Playing with class.” Most importantly though, it’s about always trying to play and perform to your full potential and never giving up, even when games are going in your favor or you know that you’re going to lose. Sportsmanship also has an effect towards other players on the field and the people watching. If someone displays poor sportsmanship throughout the game, the other team will recognize that. This will make the entire atmosphere harsh and tense when it’s really supposed to be fun.

Sportsmanship can be shown in many ways.

A good example of sportsmanship occurred when I was 8 years old and my team lost a soccer game. As always, the post-game ritual was for both teams to line up, give high fives and say, “Good game!” Following that particular game, I asked my coach, “Hey coach, why do we do that even though we lost?” After thinking about it for a minute, he responded, “The teams do that because it shows you are gracious about how both you and the other team played as well as showing that you have good sportsmanship.” As I recall that moment now, I realize that he was exactly right.

Sportsmanship is an important quality in athletes because it shows your character. Most importantly, good sportsmanship shows that you play your best and never give up in good times or bad. It can be shown in many ways, shapes and forms including reactions, attitude and all around effort. Sportsmanship shows how devoted you truly are to playing the game.