One of the most important factors a student-athlete should learn and remember is sportsmanship. It doesn’t matter what sport you participate in, sportsmanship can define an athlete.

The definition of sportsmanship is as follows: Fair play, respect for opponents, and gracious behavior in winning and losing.

This should be taught at an early age just like the fundamentals of any sport are. Recently I was watching the induction of former players going into a hall of fame and one of the most consistent thing they brought up was the sportsmanship of their peers and opponents. Sure you can be the odd ball out and be a bully on the field or court but it’s those players that when the play is over, they hand the ball to the official. Barry Sanders did this at every level. Sportsmanship, something to ponder on and I urge you to conduct yourselves no matter where you are with good characteristics.

1-2-3 break.