"Basketball: Respect for the game, Respect for your opponent"

by George Blaney
University of Connecticut
Men's Assistant Basketball Coach

I always thought one of the great things about playing basketball was that it taught you how to win and lose. Long before replays, high fives, and celebration for individual play, the game was taught by coaches that preached respect for the game and respect for your opponent.

Respect for the game: This meant that you understood how hard it was to be good at this game - that you needed to be strong in your mind and your discipline, as well as strong in your body - that you needed to play together with your teammates and sacrifice some of your individual game for the betterment of the team - that you needed to understand the concept that to be totally unselfish sometimes you need to be selfish - that the fundamentals of the game are the beauty of the game.

Respect for your opponent: This meant that he may be more talented than you or that he worked as hard or even harder than you to get to his level - that you competed against him in the very best manner by not taking any short cuts - that you gave credit to your opponent in your own mind when he executed a good play (you didn't allow yourself to blame someone else - your teammate, the officials, the coaches) - you played hard and clean - you shook your opponents hand before the game, looked him in the eye and said let's play - you shook his hand after the game, looked him in the eye and knew you had given your best effort.

In order to bring sportsmanship back to the game of basketball and to sport in general, coaches, parents and teachers must return to teaching this respect. It can be taught and must be taught. Overcoming the marketing of the individual over the team - overcoming the constant barrage of individual replays of spectacular plays and unsportsmanlike plays - overcoming the celebrations of almost any kind of good play will be a monster task. The game is good enough to stand on its own merit; the individual's glory will come as a result of the success of the group. Coaches, parents, and teachers are the ones that can cause this change to happen. It is not an overnight process. We will not get "Instant Sportsmanship, " but we will get change, we will and can get better quickly.

The last thought to be considered here is that we must be able to better communicate what sportsmanship really is. Too often in our attempts to make players compete harder, to actually teach them how to compete, there is a fine line between toughness and sportsmanship. This causes confusion and in many cases an unwillingness to play as a sportsman. Teaching someone to compete must include the concept that it must be done fairly and within the spirit of the rules.

When the game is played in this spirit there is a feeling of enormous accomplishment and a feeling that you can take to other parts of your life. It takes you beyond yourself and helps you to try to make others better.

I see a great opportunity for basketball to make a huge impact on bringing civility back to the game and ultimately sportsmanship.