Why Sportsmanship Matters

Good sportsmanship is vital for success as an athlete in any sport. I am defining success here as a lasting and positive impact on the team and sport. In this case we are talking about baseball. There have been world class baseball players who have not necessarily been good sports, Ty Cobb comes to mind, however, it is a select few.

The point I will discuss here is that athletes today need to monitor their sportsmanship to a greater extent as compared to athletes a half century ago. The simply reason is that technology has transformed our world and how we communicate. Because of this, proper conduct on and off the field should be stressed in all baseball instruction in order to shape quality athletes. Let me begin with a brief story to illustrate the importance of sportsmanship today.

Not too long ago, I received an video clip via email from a friend. The short clip showed two baseball teams walking through the line at the end of the game slapping hands as most youth teams do after a game is completed. The first ten seconds past and I began to wonder why I receive an video clip with some kids giving each other high fives. Nothing seems unusual or out of the ordinary. Then, just as I was ready to skip the video ahead (patience is not a strength of mine sometimes) I found out why my friend had emailed the clip. As the teams were half way through the line, one player reeled back and punched an opposing player directly in the mouth. The punch split his lip open and stitches were later required. The player who received the punch stumbled back stunned a bit with disbelief. There were some harsh words delivered from someone in the stands and then the clip ended. I replayed the clip a few times to see if I could determine what caused this violent outburst to happen. Nothing that I could see. This is not to say that something in the game itself could have sparked some negative feelings, but those watching the video clip are not privileged with that information. Regardless, the punch was totally uncalled for in that sense.

I am certain that this isn’t the first time that something like this has happened. So why write an article on this? What makes this so different as compared to other outbursts? It was caught on film. And because it was caught on film and put on YouTube, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of viewers may potentially view the clip. In fact, at the time this article is being written, the view count is well over 257,000. And this is why positive sportsmanship is so much more valuable in today’s technological society. If an athlete is attempting to play at the higher levels, there will be little room on rosters for individuals who display the kind of behavior mentioned in the above example.

Remember, you never know who is watching. Use opportunities during your baseball instruction and baseball drills in practice to work on shaping your athletes into productive players who will leave a positive print on the game of baseball when they are through.