Sporting manners

At some point in our lives, we had been involved in different athletic pursuits, be it as an active participant, a sponsor, supporter or as a spectator.  We get involved because it promotes an active lifestyle, a chance to interact and meet people with the same passion as ours.  Sports is fun but the moment we let go of boos and get carried away with emotions, things get unpleasant.

Since we tend to have new acquaintances aside from those whom we had previously met, the way we behave in these events often defines our character.  Only two things will come out of this – good and bad impressions.  Our actions can either make us smell like the Inayawan dumpsite or Davidoff Cool Water.  Your choice.

The golden rule says that you do to people if you want them to do the same to you.  In other words, if you treat people like bull crap, sooner or later, you will be in deeper, stinkier crap.  You do good, unexpected goodness comes your way.  It’s all about karma.

Bad sports etiquette is visible in almost every athletic event.  We see parents act like idiots during their children’s games.  We see coaches telling their players to rough house the other team.  Athletes talk trash to each other and execute great plays specifically to make opponents look bad.  It is in the animal in us to have a competitive nature that undesirable actions are manifested.  Even in sports, good manners are to be exercised and expected.

Whether you play, coach or watch, sports have to be learned and the rules understood.  Game officials are there to control proceedings and it is assumed that they know the rules of the game better than us.  They do judgment calls and there will be lapses.  There’s no reason for us to make a scene rivalling an epileptic fit if decisions don’t come our way.  It is almost pointless to argue once the whistle had been blown.  Deal with it, live with it.  We are all humans and we make mistakes.

But some beings in striped or grey shirts tend to memorize things and that’s where the comedy of errors begins.  Like when a ref gives a red card to a reed-thin guy because a player built like a wrestler flopped and was squirming like a castrated cockroach on the football field, or maybe one player was assessed a technical foul because he mumbled “atay.”  Pak, ganern.

In the course of that emotional outburst, things better left unsaid were spoken and in some cases, had involved physical contact.  What was done can’t be undone anymore and although time heals all wounds, there will always be the battle scars to remind us of the drama moments.  Social media adds to the tele-nobela.  Negativity does not motivate.  Let things go.  There is nothing mature and classier than a coach and an athlete who walks away from a bad call and continue playing till the end.

Coaches are there for a specific purpose and they’re considered experts in their fields, teaching their wards the intricacies of the game.  In other words, they know what they’re doing and we should not interfere.  We don’t know what their team plays are so the best thing for us and parents to do is to shout encouragements.  Let the coaches do their jobs.

Of course, everything depends on how a coach does his thing and his actions reflect on his players.  If he’s a motivator and sets goals, his team may not win all the time but the desired results will be achieved.  If he’s the win-at-all-cost type of coach, sportsmanship gets flushed down the toilet.  Thankfully, we don’t see this kind of specie anymore.  Coaching is an intricate blend of teaching skill and character.

From the barangay leagues down to the inter-school meets, I had witnessed so many times parents yelling their own version of Phil Jackson or Alexander Ferguson to their kids, joining huddles and interfering with the instructions to the total frustration of coaches.  Kids therefore get confused as to who’s telling what and whom to follow. 

Children are easy to impress and they tend to look to us parents as their role models.  They are in their formative years, they need examples and teaching and showing them the values of sportsmanship will help them deal with every aspect of life as they get older.  They may not develop as what we had expected so we need to give them positive and constructive comments even if they don’t seem to do well.  Let us not compare them with our achievements of years past as they grow and progress differently from us.  We had our glory years, let them carve their future slowly, on their own.  Children will always perform better when we continue to support and cheer them on even when things are down. 

Different school leagues are going on around the country.  Some events are on their halfway stages, some had just started and some still to start.  Players, coaches and supporters rule the venues and except for a few isolated incidents, things generally are within limits.

Sports is one venue that teaches our children and young athletes the value of hard work and discipline which later on leads them to success in life.  Sporting etiquette and manners teaches them to be polite and competitive at the same time.  Some have strayed but proper guidance brought them back to the right path. 

It always pays to be humble in wins.  Being cocky and arrogant upon victory further makes the vanquished feel bad.  It is enough for them to know the results on the scoreboard, no need to rub more salt to the wound.  Likewise, accept defeat graciously.  You lost to a better team, not because the referee was biased or whatever justifications are manufactured for the loss.

Sports manners should be shown on and off the playing arena by players, coaches and spectators alike.  Parents included.