The game is close and we only have enough time for one more possession. We have the ball and are down by two points to Marysville, a rival school within our league. I dribble the ball down the court and wait patiently for our shooting guard to come off his double screen outside the three-point line. I pass him the ball with perfect timing. He shoots the ball. “Swoosh!” We win! The crowd erupts to their feet like a volcano. Then I see it. The referee sprinting across the court, waving his hands in a scissor-like motion, to meet the other referees in the center of the court. After a discussion among them, the same referee steps aside, faces the crowd, and twirls his fists to indicate a travel took place before the shot. We have lost.

In the ensuing silence, produced by the stunned crowd, only one cry can be heard. “THAT’S BULLSHIT!” After the crowd gasps, due to the preceding statement, mothers can be seen covering their children’s ears for fear of further profanity. Before I look into the crowd, I know who he is. The man is an alumni and is very passionate about our sports program. He is at all the sporting events and makes himself known for his foul mouth. Sportsmanship is not having a dirty mouth. With every curse word, I remember the words my father and previous coaches drilled into me about being a good sport: respect, and honesty.

Sportsmanship is respect. If I respect others then I will get their respect in return.

“Treat others the way you would want to be treated.” The golden rule that everyone learns in their early years of schooling is directly related to respect and good sportsmanship. What many people do not learn is that the Bible has its own version of the golden rule in the book of Matthew. In the New International Version of the Holy Bible, Matthew 7:12 states “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” My mom read this verse to me after a baseball incident I had with my coach.

I was in the fourth grade, and I was just learning to pitch. I was having a good game at pitching, excluding the recurring walks on the same player. My coach and I knew the problem. The batter was purposely crowding the plate to make me nervous and throw bad pitches. With the handful of walks on that batter, his tactic was working.

Before we took the field again, my coach pulled me off to the side to speak to me. The sweat was pouring down my face so I took off my hat and wiped away the perspiration. 

“Next time he bats, hit him and see if he takes a step back from the plate,” my coach said with a smirk.
“Yes, sir,” I immediately responded. He gave me a pat on the back and then I ran out to the mound.
When the boy came up to bat, I threw four consecutive inside pitches. None of them struck the batter but were close enough to fool my coach into thinking I was trying to hit him. I wasn’t going to hit him. I couldn't do that. I respected the batter enough to disobey my coach's demand. Sportsmanship is not harming another individual.

Sportsmanship is honesty. Honesty is not only telling the truth, it is also admitting wrongdoing. Benjamin Franklin stated “Honesty is the best policy.” This quote means telling the truth should be the first response to all situations in life. Whether it be a coach asking if a friend cheated repetitions during weights class or a police officer asking if a friend was the thief. Honesty is a moral character an individual contains. Lacking that character trait can be dangerous.

Recently I was involved with an example of how important honesty can be in life.

Last month I had $25 stolen out of my wallet. I was not as angry as another individual who had $80 stolen from his pocket. I felt bad for him because all his hard work from the weekend was taken from him.
The theft took place during my 2nd hour weights class. After everyone had gathered into the locker room, I stood in front of the door and yelled, “Someone in here has stolen money this class period. Return the money and no action will be taken.” I gave the thief a chance to be truthful, straightforward and honest about his mistake. No one came forward.

When I reported the theft to my weights instructor, he was furious with me. My instructor told me it was all my fault for not locking my clothes into a locker. I admitted it was partly my fault for not being responsible for my belongings, but it still should not have happened if everyone had good morals. The individual who stole the money should have been honest from the beginning. He was arrested from school and received 11 days of out-of-school suspension.

Don’t be the guy who yells profane statements at high school basketball games because he is not a good sport. Hitting a batter while pitching in baseball is not good sportsmanship. Nor is committing a crime and not being honest after the mistake. Good sportsmanship is being respectful, applying the golden rule and admitting faults. Sportsmanship is more about morals and life than sports themselves.