The True Essence of High School Athletics: Embracing Sportsmanship

This week, we continue to celebrate High School Activities Month by recognizing sportsmanship in high school athletics. Sportsmanship embodies mutual respect and graciousness for players, coaches, and fans during competition.

Impacts of Sportsmanship

Fostering Personal Growth and Maturity

Sportsmanship can have profound effects on the personal growth and character development of young student-athletes. Most participants in high school activities will begin as young teens and exit as legal adults, making this a crucial time in growing up. Learning to respect opponents and abide by the rules will help build interpersonal skills that can benefit students throughout their lives.

Building Relationships

Relationships are also built through acts of sportsmanship. Through sportsmanship, athletes can strengthen bonds with their teammates, coaches, opponents, and fans. Sportsmanship can foster inclusivity and encourage meaningful interactions between members of opposing teams and different communities.

Creating a Positive Culture

By displaying sportsmanship, student-athletes can often inspire others to reflect on their behavior and hold themselves to a higher standard of conduct. This commitment to treating others with respect can create a positive culture surrounding athletics and activities while strengthening the brand and reputation of a school.

How to Encourage Sportsmanship

Leading by Example

Coaches are in positions of authority and have the power to influence their teams and communities. It’s the ultimate responsibility of coaches to cultivate a culture of sportsmanship in their programs. Coaches should lead by example, showing players what sportsmanship looks like. Actions like shaking the opposing coach’s hand, interacting with officials politely, and maintaining composure during stressful situations can speak volumes. Being polite is easy in favorable circumstances, but true character is often tested in adversity.

Setting Boundaries

In addition to modeling appropriate behavior, coaches and other leaders should make it clear that unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated and will have consequences. They should also acknowledge student-athletes who display good sportsmanship. A little recognition can go a long way for students.

Reinforcing Lessons

Parents and other family members can also support these lessons at home to help student-athletes balance the spirit of competition with respect for opponents. By setting boundaries and expectations, families can encourage sportsmanship and instill values that will benefit students in high school and beyond.

High school athletics and activities can provide lifelong memories and invaluable lessons for students. Embracing sportsmanship as a core value will benefit students, teams, schools, and communities as a whole.

Next Steps

To learn more about National High School Activities Month, visit NFHS.org or follow the NFHS on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram at @nfhs_org. 

The GoFan team will also publish more blogs and content over the next few weeks to celebrate. You can stay up to date on Twitter and LinkedIn at @GoFanHS or contact us for more information.