Sunday, August 24, 2008

Sportmanship and the Olympics

So they have vindicated the wrestler who acted like a jerk at the winner's podium - but does this make his behavior right? In my opinion he had a right to be upset but to make a scene and disrupt the specialness of the moment for the other winner's is totally unacceptable. I understand that these athletes train for a lifetime for these games but the foundation of the games is sportsmanship and goodwill. Even if he was wronged he had no right to behave like a 2 year old. There was other ways he could have made his point without disgracing himself and his country. I am a very competitive person but have never felt the need to rub a win into an opponents face. I play hard but I play fair. My level of intensity has diminished over the years and I have recognized that being less competitive has allowed me to enjoy the game more and it has allowed me to develop relationships with my opponents - something that my over competitvness never allowed me to do in the past. I say if you win - go ahead and celebrate - you've worked hard for it but don't rub it in your opponents face. Sometimes the sign of a good winner is not how they handle losing but rather how they handle victory

No comments: