Sportsmanship case study

1. Sportsmanship Case Study
By Sully Tomich

2. Definition
● Play fair, be ethical, and follow the rules
● Do not kick players or teams while they’re down
● Remember that it is just a game
○ Don’t take it too seriously
● Realize your mistakes and take responsibility

3. Ethics - Owners and/or Coaches
Good sportsmanship:
During the 2009 season, St. Joseph Benton HS in Missouri was losing 46-0 with 10 seconds left in the game. Benton coach Dan
McCamy asked the opposing coach if he would let one of their players score a TD. That student was Matt Ziesel, who has down
syndrome. The coach and players were happy to oblige, and Ziesel ran in for a 60-yard score. This is a display of good
sportsmanship because normally a coach would want to preserve a shutout, but he put football aside and let a kid follow his
dream, no matter what is holding him back. This displays the notion that sports are just games, and they are more about having
fun than winning.

4. Ethics - Owners and/or Coaches
Bad sportsmanship:
I turn to Arroyo Valley High School (CA) Girls Basketball coach, Michael Anderson. His team beat Bloomington High 161-2 in a
game last January. This is an example of bad sportsmanship because even though he put his bench players in, he never should've
allowed the score to be run up that high. It's an unwritten rule that if you're destroying a team, you lay off near the end of the
game. Arroyo Valley also had already won previous games by 73, 81, 74 and 98 points.
“Nobody's perfect. Everyone slides here and there, and they have their ups and downs.
When they are down, that is not the time to step all over them." - Neil Schon

5. Ethics - Health and Safety
An example I have personally experienced is during my freshman year of baseball. Since it was raining outside, we were having
practice indoors and playing a small pickup game with a tennis ball. I was playing first base, and my friend Adam was running out
a grounder. I reached out to make the play and I did. But I realized that my foot was a little too far on first base (we had to use
plastic flat bases so I couldn’t rest my foot on the edge of it). In doing this, I inadvertently tripped my friend, sending him flying
into the bleachers, breaking his wrist in the process. Instantly, the athletic trainer raced over and treated him, having him all
wrapped up and ready within minutes. This is ethical because he didn’t just walk over and ask what’s wrong, he ran over and took
control.

6. Ethics - Health and Safety
My second example of ethical health care has to do with former Louisville basketball star Kevin Ware. As you should know, Kevin
Ware suffered a horrific leg injury in an elite 8 matchup against Duke. Both the medical staff and the TV station showed ethical
behavior because the staff instantly reacted and got him to the hospital. CBS showed the behavior by not replaying the video of
the injury.

7. Ethics - Athletes and Community
Although this action did not directly impact his community, it still looked very good for him. I am talking about Leonard
Fournette, the star RB from LSU. After the massive flooding in South Carolina, he mentioned that he would like to auction off his
game jersey to help the victims. He understood their pain as he had to survive the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Originally he was
told by the NCAA that it was a violation, but then this happened:
This shows an act of sportsmanship on both ends. As we know, the NCAA can be a stickler on rule violations, so it was nice to see
them bend in the wake of a disaster.

8. Ethics - Athletes and Community
An athlete whose actions had a negative impact on his community was Lance Armstrong. He not only negatively impacted the
cycling community, but the entire country that supported him. He had the perfect story and he used that to his advantage to cheat
because no one could've possibly suspected him at the time. The consequences are that the emotional tables have completely
turned. Everyone now sees him as a cheating jerk rather than a hero.

9. Ethics - Fan Behavior
The Line:
I find that almost all controversial fan behavior is ok as long as it doesn’t go as far as verbally abusing other fans, officials, or
players. Storming the court, trash talking (or “chirping”), and chanting things are all part of the experience.

10. Ethics - Fan Behavior
The exception to the court-storming rule in the previous slide is that you need to let the opposing team leave the playing surface
before going on it. This comes from an incident last year when Kansas State upset their in-state rival, Kansas, and the fans stormed
the court too early, preventing the Kansas players and coaches from leaving the game safely. They were shoved up against tables,
taunted by other fans, and one player actually started getting in a physical confrontation with a fan.

11. Conclusion
Everyone has their own specific details on what sportsmanship is, but the core concepts are all the same. Play hard, play fair, and
give everyone the best chance to have fun. The business and extreme individuality of sports has taken away from the true meaning
of sports. It makes me happy that I see many athletes trying to preserve and extend those values. I chose the image below because
it represents a most simple form of sportsmanship, shaking hands and saying good game. This happens at the end of every hockey
playoff series, something you don’t see in the three other major sports.

12. Image Sources
Section:
1) Definition:
2) Owners and Coaches: http://www.sbsun.com/
3) Health and Safety:
4) Athletes and Community: twitter.com/NCAA and
5) Fan Behavior: twitter.com/bigsullyt or brandonschooldistrict.org
Conclusion:
www.spursreport.com
www.newspressnow.com
pbats.com
www.therisinghollywood.com
bleacherreport.com
collegebasketball.nbcsports.com www.kshb.com www.snipview.com
www.totalprosports.com