Winning is Not Everything : Sportsmanship
I remembered in middle school I loved playing Volleyball. Did I play on a team? No. “You loved playing it, so why didn’t you go out for the team?” you asked. The answer is simple sportsmanship. My school was full of kids that ruined playing sports for me. They were all about wining so much that it made it no fun for me. I didn’t even want to try. I hated it. I had lost all interest in sports. I married a guy who is all about sports. Sports is his passion, he is a coach! Go figured! 🙂
Keeping that in mind leads me to what I think is important to teach our children, and that’s sportsmanship. First thing we need to teach our children is how to be a team player.
A Team Player:
- is nice and respectful to his/her teammates
- shares the ball
- says positive things( I think this is very important, you need to encourage each other to get better instead of putting them down)
- forgives mistakes (mistakes are their so we can learn from them)
- doesn’t cheat
Sportsmanship is:
- be fair and follow the rules
- respect all players: your teammates and the other team players, the referee, coaches! Everyone. (I think it’s important to remind the kids that it’s just a game. Have fun!!) (To put it simple, remember the golden rule)
- Be a good winner, be humble, and tell the losing team good job!
Most important thing we got to remember as parents is that we got to lead by example. Time and time again I see parents get upset and yell at their children when they make mistakes. It’s important to remember that all though your children are older there are little eyes watching you at games. Instead of yelling at them, encourage them to do better next time. Teach them to learn from their mistakes. Just encourage them to have fun and enjoy playing sports and being active. The more they are having fun, the more they will want to do it and improve!
