Today, Dr. Crawford addresses a very important issue stemming from a parent's death at a recent youth sports event. We believe that it is important for everyone involved in youth sports to understand the importance of sportsmanship. We hope you find the article below helpful and informative. There has been some sad news lately in the world of amateur sports that should cause all of us to re-consider the role that sportsmanship plays in our participation in sports. Two fathers at a hockey practice got into a fight, and one ended up killing the other.
Sportsmanship seems to have taken a back seat to winning, succeeding, or advancing.
While the pursuit of victory has always been an important part of sports, it is the pursuit of victory with honor and sportsmanship that is really what sports should be about. Respect and sportsmanship mean treating all of these participants with integrity and fairness and honesty. It also means having respect for the game or sport itself. Sports are defined by rules and procedures we have to follow. In order for competition in sports to mean anything, we also have to respect and follow the rules.