Being a Good Sport

What is Good Sportsmanship?  Good sportsmanship is an important part of responsible behavior. Winning and losing are daily occurrences in everyone’s life.  When there is competition, each person tries to do something better than the others. Games and sports are examples of competition.

Good & Bad Sports Good Sports  Feel good about themselves whether they win or lose  Have fun with game  Learn new skills  Do not laugh at the loser  Do not brag about winning  Shakes the winner’s hand  Says nice things (“good game”) Bad Sports  Cry  Pout  Throw tantrums  Brag or gloat  Cheat  Blame losses on the other teammates

Skill #1: Ask Yourself, “How Well Did I Play?” Try your best and try to be better than the last time you played. Ask yourself these questions: Did I answer more questions? Did I answer more questions? Did I run faster? Did I run faster? Did I kick the ball farther? Did I kick the ball farther? Did I cheer for my team members? Did I cheer for my team members? Did I listen better? Did I listen better?

Skill #2: If You Lose, Congratulate the Winner  Someone has to lose in a game. If you’re the loser, tell yourself, “Someone has to lose. It’s okay that I didn’t win.”  The way you act when you lose can show whether you’re a good sport or a bad sport.

Skill #3: If You Win, Say “Good Game!” “You had some great throws. I had a hard time beating you.” “You had some great throws. I had a hard time beating you.”  “Ha, ha, ha, you lost!” “Your team did a great job. It was a good match.” “Your team did a great job. It was a good match.”  “I kicked the ball so far. I was so good. I can’t believe how well I played today!” “You put up a good fight. It was a good game.” “You put up a good fight. It was a good game.”

Review  Evaluate how well you played.  Congratulate the winner.  Help the loser feel better about not winning.