A player gives up a rebound to help another player up on the basketball court. The runner stops his race to help a fallen comrade. Each one possibly sacrifices winning to help the other team. By respecting the other participants, I make it much more enjoyable for all involved. Winning on the scoreboard is a bonus, not the only enjoyable outcome.
Good sports are indeed winners.
The difficulty lies in the ability of both participants and spectators to promote these ideals in the heat of battle. I always think of sportsmanship as being contagious. If you display a positive attitude, you will more times than not receive the same in return. Too often the casual observer focuses on the number of victories, the number one athlete or team. However important these are, I believe more important are the lessons learned while participating in high school athletics.