Sportsmanship should be the name of the game, even in rough world of election politics

Let’s talk sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship is the conduct that players display toward their opponents. It includes such behaviors as respect, graciousness in both winning and losing and adherence to an accepted set of ethics.

In short, it’s everything not associated with the physical component of the game. Sportsmanship says nothing about throwing a discus, fielding a grounder or hitting a backhand.

Instead, it focuses on how athletes interact with fellow competitors. It’s the humanity behind the scoreboard. The character behind the trophy.

Without sportsmanship, athletics would quickly devolve into a street fight. Think “Lord of the Flies” in a team jersey.

Every player would be in it for themselves. The biggest bully would hog the ball. Gloating would be the norm.

Compassion and courtesy wouldn’t make the roster. And the event would quickly self-destruct, leaving charred remnants of a game that couldn’t survive.

Most of us start learning about sportsmanship in preschool.

We wait in line to go down the slide. We share hula hoops with other classmates. We comfort a student who has scraped her knee during a game of tag. We respect our teachers’ authority on the playground.

This doesn’t mean we master those concepts. All of us carry a hint of me-first into our adulthood.

Whether we cut in front of another driver on the freeway or secretly take the last scoop of ice cream from the carton, we grapple to contain our inner toddlers.

The level to which we are successful varies from person to person. Some folks are inherently gracious, while others seem boorish and crude. Some make us feel safe in their presence; others keep us perpetually on edge.

Fortunately for most of us, our lapses in adult sportsmanship are minor.

They’re usually petty acts of selfishness that inflict a minimum of harm. You nudge your golf ball to improve your lie. You intentionally call a close serve out in tennis.

Yes, you’re being a jerk. Your character definitely takes a hit. But no lives are on the line. It’s even possible that no one saw you cheat.

Recently, however, we’ve seen sportsmanship take a nose dive on the national level. The leader of the free world has behaved so badly that other leaders are gaping in disbelief.

The lack of graciousness displayed by President Donald Trump wouldn’t be tolerated at the end of a T-ball game, much less following a national election. Yet his unwillingness to acknowledge the outcome has become a massive tumor that’s quickly disfiguring the country.

To make matters worse, his actions are threatening democracy. When the integrity of voting is called into question, the principle of self-rule is under assault.

Peaceful transition of power is no longer guaranteed. Our system of government teeters on shaky ground.

All because of a lack of sportsmanship.

A simple statement, such as “Congratulations. I wish you the best,” would instantly put the matter to bed. Instead, the petulance continues, doubt festers and our lives remain in limbo.

We deserve better.

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 5:05 AM.