What is sport etiquette? Sport requires people to follow written and unwritten rules to make it fair. It expects people to behave responsibly to ensure respect, fairness and safety. In this way, it promotes social values.
Good sportsmanship is when people who are playing or watching a sport treat each other with respect. This includes players, parents, coaches, and officials. Anyone taking part in sport must take personal responsibility and behave in a certain way which is fully compliant with the rules and the expected behaviours of the sport.
Sport also has unwritten rules or customs – etiquette – to uphold respect and fairness. Sport etiquette help people to play in the ‘spirit of the game’. They often require players to take an active approach to respect and fairness, not just avoid breaking the rules. For example, sport etiquette includes:
- acknowledging that a ball was out in tennis
- shaking hands with opponents before and after an important football match, regardless of the outcome
It’s no secret that children are especially impressionable. When it comes to good sportsmanship, kids look to their coaches and parents as examples of how to act.
Developing good sportsmanship does more than show kids how to behave politely during and after a game. Sportsmanship impacts how children interact on and off the field. Good sportsmanship builds teamwork, character, and teaches respect, honour, discipline, kindness, inclusion, resilience, perseverance, and more.
The benefits of good sportsmanship are many. When kids enjoy active play, they look forward to sports and exercise as a chance to make new friends and develop new skills. Good sportsmanship encourages everyone to do their best, boosting confidence and showing the rewards of hard work, goal setting, and collaboration.
A few guidelines to keep in mind:
Always treat others how you’d like to be treated:
Empathy benefits everyone and is an especially crucial skill for little ones to learn. When children think about how their words and actions impact others, they learn how to treat others with care. This builds respect, compassion, and friendship between classmates, teammates, and more.
Practice What You Preach:
Parents, coaches, and teachers should remember that children are always watching, so practice what you preach.
Actions Speak Louder than Words:
Don’t just talk about good sportsmanship. Demonstrate it. Shake hands with the coach or parents of the opposing team or act out giving a congratulatory hi-five to an opponent even when you lose the game.
Fun and Fitness Go Hand-in-Hand:
Establishing healthy habits early can encourage kids to continue an active lifestyle for years to come. Winning and losing are part of the game, but above all fitness should always be fun. Athletes should look forward to play time as motivation to stay active and thriving.
By being a good sportsman with sport etiquette, you learn respect for others and self-control. These skills can help you manage many other parts of your life. They’re also key to becoming a mature, respectful, and successful adult. https://www.overallmotivation.com/quotes/sportsmanship-quotes/