Sportsmanship: Cultivating Fair Play and Civic Conduct

Sportsmanship: Civil Conduct in Athletics

People participating in sport are still citizens and are required to behave civilly. Within sports jargon, we call this behavior sportsmanship. Fairness is the best expression of the social aspects of sport that deserves the attention of the highest sporting bodies, who are concerned that sport is played civilly.

Defining Sportsmanship and Fair Play

In Spain, the Sports Council initiated a campaign in 2000 to promote sportsmanship and fair play. They defined sportsmanship fundamentally as respect for the game's rules. However, it also includes notable concepts such as:

• Friendship
• Respect for opponents
• Sports spirit

Fairness is a concept that transcends mere compliance with sporting rules. To demonstrate sportsmanship behavior means acting:

• According to sporting rules
• Inspired by moral principles
• In line with the social norms of the team, club, or competition

One could say that sportsmanship is being a good citizen on the track and field.

The Educational Value of Sportsmanship

From an educational point of view, the importance of sportsmanship lies in assessing whether there is a real transfer between sportsmanship and civic behavior. This is where sports regulations encourage compliance with laws that then apply in social life.

The opinion of some scholars is that there is no relationship between sporting and social life. Examples abound in this sense:

• Respectable people in the community, as spectators, lose their temper on Sundays.
• Conversely, great athletes in their personal lives may take drugs or endanger the lives of others in traffic.

Other authors argue that if sport is not conducted under certain conditions, it may also involve the development of undesirable traits, such as:

• Aggression
• Exclusion
• Contempt
• Obsession for victory at any cost

Challenges in Transferring Sporting Habits to Life

The difficulty in applying behavioral habits acquired in the sporting field to social life stems from the fact that they are two distinct realities.

1. First, the actions and effects of the game often have no impact outside the game itself; they do not extend further.
2. Second, the physical contact that occurs in most sports has almost disappeared from social life. Physical contact causes very basic reaction mechanisms of defense and attack, and those who are not used to it may respond in an uncontrolled way.

In any case, the practice of sport at school age and at any time of life is valuable in itself for the individual and for society. Even if habits of compliance are not directly transferred, sport inherently requires adherence to rules.