Vancouver Canuck legends Daniel and Henrik Sedin with Team Sweden in the 2010 Winter Olympics. The brothers are among the sportsmanlike athletes who have graced Vancouver sports teams, writes Pat Macken. (Wikimedia Commons)
Those who watched the women’s singles final of the 2018 U.S. Open tennis championships unfortunately witnessed a glaring example of poor sportsmanship from Serena Williams.
She is arguably the best female player of all time, yet this is not the first time she has set a poor example for young players by having tantrums, smashing racquets, threatening linespeople or making excuses after a loss.
Then you have the brilliant Brazilian soccer star Neymar, who embarrasses officials and disrespects opponents with his continuous diving.
And what about hockey’s Brad Marchand and his particularly dirty style of play that often crosses the line endangering players.
Then there are baseball coaches who verbally abuse umpires regularly.
Why as Catholics is it important that we emphasize the importance of sportsmanlike behaviour with our children and demand it from those we pay to watch? After all, some may argue, isn’t it often just a strategy to gain the upper hand over an opponent.
In Scripture, at Mass, through the community of saints or our faith-filled Catholic mentors, we are reminded that we must reflect the love of Jesus in every aspect of our daily life. This includes the sports we participate in and those games we watch as spectators.
There is no time-out from living our faith and setting a good example for others. We may have many goals in competition, including using the talents God the Father gave us to develop new skills, reach personal bests, and accomplish victory.
However, any victory accomplished without virtuous behaviour, integrity, and respect for opponent is really no victory at all. I’m referring to virtues like fortitude, discipline, patience, persistence, and hard work.
When I compete I always remember I am an ambassador for Christ, representing the Church and my family name. St. Pope John Paul II, who was a good soccer player, once said “Every Catholic Christian athlete is called to become a strong athlete of Christ, a faithful and courageous witness to his Gospel.”
Pope Francis feels strongly enough about sportsmanship that he included it as part of his monthly prayer intentions for July this year: “That sports may always be occasions of fraternity and growth.”
The meeting of two individuals or teams on the sporting field is such a tremendous opportunity to practise apostolate, to build bridges amongst cultures, and to even practise forgiveness and charity as the victim of hostile behaviour from an opponent.
We must not miss our chance. Parents should clarify early and often if necessary that unsportsmanlike behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in their child’s removal from the sport.
My parents made this clear to my siblings and myself. To this day my prematch prayer is that I will act like a good ambassador for Christ.
Also remember to give positive reinforcement to your well-behaved athletic child, showing that you are pleased with the good example they are giving.
As champions go, Catholic Roger Federer is regarded today as a classy and sportsmanlike tennis player, but he wasn’t always. As a young boy he would act very poorly on court, often throwing or smashing his racquets. This changed after his father took his racquets away and told him he wouldn’t play again unless he cleaned up his act.
The late Stan Makita was a National Hockey League legend who early in his career was a dirty player and one of the most penalized players in the league. In his case, it was his young daughter who told him she didn’t like him playing like that. He immediately changed his ways and went on to win two sportsmanship awards.
Whether we like it or not, we are all expected to be examples for Christ, no matter what the stakes are. Some may argue things are different when we’re talking about a billion-dollar sports industry, but at the highest level of competition we have the biggest opportunity to build the faith community – or to damage it by what fans see in us.
Despite not always having great results on the field, our local sports teams have had many wonderful sportsmanlike examples. The Canucks had Marcus Naslund, the Sedin twins, and of course Catholic convert Trevor Linden, while the B.C. Lions have been led by their Catholic quarterback Travis Lulay.
All have impeccable reputations for their classiness and respect for their teammates and opponents. At whatever level of sports your children are playing, try to instill in them that wins and stats are far less important than being known for your sportsmanship. Being an ambassador for Christ will influence others for life.