Player Conduct: Where Has All The Sportsmanship Gone?

Throughout the years, we’ve seen athletes engage in egregious acts of disrespect on the field, court or ice: Just recently, Ndamukong Suh stepping on Aaron Rodgers’ leg and ankle. Todd Bertuzzi’s punch to the back of Steve Moore’s head leading to career-ending complications. Ndamukong Suh kicking Matt Schaub in the groin. The Pistons-Pacers on-court fight that sparked the infamous “Malice at the Palace” brawl.

Time and time again we see breaking news on SportsCenter or Twitter where one athlete has done something outrageous to another athlete. Of course, this is nothing new; pitchers have been giving batters chin music for more than a century. Kermit Washington punched Rudy Tomjanovich more than 35 years ago, yet it’s still one of the most mentioned acts of athletic violence.

It just seems like today’s athletes are more disrespectful, and that goes beyond hard hits or tough play. The character of today’s athletes has deteriorated and poor player conduct isn’t a problem that only affects the professional ranks. Athletes disrespecting athletes — violently or otherwise — happens just as much on the collegiate and youth levels as it does in the pros. We just don’t know about it because it’s much less publicized, but there are dirty acts at all levels.

Where has the idea of sportsmanship gone? What happened to the idea of friendly competition; shaking hands after a game and socializing with your opponent?

One reason could be the culture of sports is more cutthroat than ever before and player conduct has suffered for it, as athletes are more concerned with earning a roster spot/a scholarship/an endorsement deal than playing a team game, for fun. As more and more people participate in athletics, it becomes harder to earn a spot or continue on to the next level. No one wants to come off as weak, and players go to extreme lengths to prove themselves — and that means disregarding the sportsmanship that makes team sports great.

Sportsmanship isn’t completely dead. We all saw the NFL community collectively support Cincinnati Bengal Devon Still this season, as his daughter battled cancer. And after most games you may see NFL and NBA rivals exchange jerseys and hugs, as they catch up with guys they played with and against in AAU or college. There is still the traditional handshake line after a hockey game, but the occurrences of disrespect seem to come much more frequently.

Are these instances called to attention more due to the 24-hour news cycle/social media culture we live in? Possibly. It certainly seems like everyone, whether they’re in the public eye or not, is under intense scrutiny. Every mistake or misstep is now documented on social media and discussed online.

That’s why it’s more important now than ever for athletes to display good character traits and play with integrity. Everyone’s under a microscope and something like disrespecting an opponent may give your athletes the dreaded “dirty player” label that sticks with them throughout their career.

As athletes work to continuously improve their skill set and refine their game, it’s imperative to place an emphasis on sportsmanship and character.

Winning isn’t everything, but playing with respect is. Do your players have good sportsmanship?

Author Bio

Bobbie Quinn, co-founder of Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, played both lacrosse and field hockey as a youth and went on to play Division 1 women’s lacrosse in college. Bobbie continues to play women’s league field hockey and enjoys watching her son play various sports.