My son played in a basketball tournament this past weekend and I was honestly disturbed by the lack of sportsmanship. Both the players and the parents of the opposing team in the final showed such a lack of control on their emotions that their thuggish nature was showing openly. At one point a parent from the other team actually yelled out when one of our kids was making a foul shot. Amazing.
It makes me wonder why people act as they do. I mean, hey, we all wanted to win as well. Our kids wanted to beat them and claim the first place trophy too; but we didn’t act like heathens.
I know I might be coming off like I think we are better than them, and I do not mean to imply that at all. I am sure they are good people. I bet if I met them on the street I would even like them. But there, in the field house while the kids were playing, they acted like fools.
Just the other day I was reading Good Life, Good Death: Tibetan Wisdom on Reincarnation and I was impressed with how the author taught about the Ego. I guess the ego is what would make someone behave as the parents and kids from the other team acted.
The Ego is only concerned with its own happiness. Nothing and no one else.
They wanted the trophy and bragging rights so badly they never stopped to think about their actions. On the court the kids were too busy trying to win at all cost that they didn’t recognize how their own actions were hurting them. In the stands the parents were acting as if winning that trophy would make jeering ten year olds acceptable.
I just don’t get it.
When the tournament organizer was handing out the trophies to our team, their Second Place trophies the parents and kids from the other team just stood there and talked about how great it was to beat us. While they accepted the First Place trophies our kids, our coaches and the parents clapped for the winning team.
Do you think they understood that? I wondered if they even noticed really.
Sad. What a sad thing they were busy teaching their kids that day; I hope my son was paying attention though. I hope he saw how proud we were of the effort he and his team put out on the court. They gave it their all, and they did it with integrity and sportsmanship.
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