Sporting events turn nasty when athletes confuse healthy rivalries with hate rivalries, according to the March issue of the Penn State Sports Medicine Newsletter. Assertiveness, on the other hand, means to play with intensity and pursue athletic excellence with honor.
Athletes have to keep competition in perspective.
In spite of what some coaches say, sport is not war. It is not life or death. The accent on sportsmanship should rule out trash-talking, which has become a habit for many modern athletes. The ideal, according to Vernacchia, is to enjoy one's success while showing a measure of humility in winning. There are two sides of the scoreboard, and you will be on the losing side sooner or later.