“No fair!”
“I quit”
“You cheated!”
“This game is stupid”
Those attitudes can suck the fun right out of a good game.
It is no fun to lose. Everyone would rather win at everything, but everyone will lose sometimes. When you do lose you can lose and still have fun. Being a good sport makes you more fun to play with and lets you have fun too.
Why Learn to Lose?
Everyone wants to win. But any game or contest will have winners and losers.
Losing is no fun, so it’s not surprising that kids don’t like it and adults don’t like it either, but everyone can learn to control how they behave.
Sometimes we are are so excited or sad that we can be a bad sport before we even know we did it. Here is an example, it is the very end of the game and you think you might win but BOOM! the other side won. There others are cheering and giving high-fives and you are so disappointed you want to cry.
It’s OK that you feel sad. The important thing is what you do about it.
Do you yell at the other team or person and call them cheaters? Do you get mad and refuse to talk to the other guys? Do you blame someone on your own team for playing badly?
All of those things make a person a bad sport.
The best thing to do is be nice and congratulate the other team or other person. After most youth sports the teams lines up and they walk along sort of high-fiving the other team’s players and saying “good game.”
When you lose you may not feel like it was a good game, but doing that is one way to teach everyone how to be a good sport. If you feel sad or mad you can deal with that later after you have had a chance to cool down. After a little time passes, you might not feel as upset as you were right when the game ended.
Losing – On Your Own
Sometimes you lose when you are the only one playing on your team. A chess game, spelling bee a one-on-one basketball. These things can be extra-hard if there are no grownups around. Then it’s up to you to decide among yourselves whether something counted as a basket or a foul. It’s good for kids to learn to play without a grownup deciding everything but it also can lead to a lot of arguing. Each kid wants to win and may feel very strongly about how the game goes.
How do you solve these disagreements? It is best if everyone tries to be fair. Some kids still might cheat or bend the rules, most will try to be fair and you can ALWAYS try to be fair. That might mean giving the other team the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you thought a basket shouldn’t count and the other team thinks it’s OK. If it’s close, you might say, “OK, it can count.” Hopefully, the other team will be just as sportsmanlike when one of your calls could go either way. Even if they’re not, you certainly can’t be accused of cheating or playing unfairly. You’ve done your part to bring good sportsmanship to the game.
Kids who are good spo
rts will become known as kids who are fun to play with. Kids might not be as eager to play with someone who gets angry all the time and won’t ever give the other guy or girl a break.
10 Ways to Be a Good Sport
Here are some ways that you can show others what good sportsmanship is all about:
- Be polite to everyone you’re playing with and against. No trash talk – which means saying mean things while you’re in the middle of a game.
- Don’t show off. Just play your best. If you’re good, people will notice.
- Tell your opponents “good game!” whether you’ve won or you’ve lost.
- Learn the rules of the game. Show up for practices and games on time – even if you’re the star of the team.
- Listen to your coaches and follow their directions about playing.
- Don’t argue with an official if you don’t agree with his or her call. If you don’t understand a certain call, wait until after the game to ask your coach or the official to explain it to you.
- Don’t make up excuses or blame a teammate when you lose. Try to learn from what happened.
- Be willing to sit out so other team members can get in the game – even if you think you’re a better player.
- Play fair and don’t ever cheat.
- Cheer for your teammates even if the score is 1,000-1! You could inspire a big comeback!
