You Lose - I Win

I have a concern when I see spectators cheering when opponents commit errors, fail to play well, or even suffer an injury. Instead of cheering for their team to win, they hope that their opponents will find a way to lose.

This tactic is very common in our election campaigns.  We see the candidate telling us all the terrible things that their opponent has done or intends to do. Again, the message is, "I can't win on my own merits or abilities; I have to bring him down below me." In some cases this strategy works and in others it backfires.

Not too long ago, it was very poor sportsmanship to ridicule, intimidate, or insult our opponents. Those kinds of tactics brought on unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, technical fouls, even ejections. Now, let's look at some of the professional and college sports and the trend at belittling and intimidating the opponent -- the taunting, the insults, the trash talking, the "victory dances" the "in-your-face" behavior, the fist shaking. Now it is a part of the "color" of the game and the crowd loves it. In fact, the crowd has joined in with its very creative and often offensive signs. In response, Football now has a ruling that taunting will earn you a 15 yard penalty.

Most sports are above using offensive tactics. You won’t see a golfer laugh at her opponent who missed a putt or taunt her opponent after making a long put. Or a bowler, after stringing together five strikes, getting in the face of his opponent? So far, it hasn't shown up on the softball or baseball diamonds. Just imagine the home run hitter rounding the bases and taunting the pitcher or the catcher shoving the ball under the runner's nose after tagging him out.

Compare the following statements and choose the one you prefer:

A. We use tactics to try to make our opponents play poorly and it might help us win the game.

B. We play our best. We expect our opponents to play their best. We enjoy our wins and we deal with our losses.

Which of these makes you feel like a winner?

It's essential that we, as coaches, teach our players and supporters to have the utmost respect for our opponents -- to honor them for their contributions. The only thing that enables us to express our excellence as coaches, players, and fans is an adversary who demands this excellence from us by competing with us at its highest level. 

And then, we can really experience the joy of our victories.