Imagine yourself as a professional athlete, fueled by encouragement and cheers from fans. Now imagine thousands of people booing you, rendering you weak and discouraged. Being degraded is soul crushing and can ruin potential. Good sportsmanship from opponents, team mates and fans is essential for athletes to succeed. Sportsmanship differentiates sports from simple competition. A positive atmosphere is crucial, no matter the sport.
Based on recent occurrences in sports within the past few months, from an unusually loud crowd at the Ryder Cup to a football player spitting on his opponent at a recent Philadelphia Eagles game, it is evident that respect for one’s opponents is diminishing in the sports community. If the recent decline in sportsmanship isn’t acknowledged, it could lead to an epidemic of poor sportsmanship in schools, club teams and youth.
The US Open had a tense start on Aug. 27 when Jelena Ostapenko allegedly told Taylor Townsend that she has “no class” and “no education,” according to ESPN. The comment led to a public argument on the court. Additionally, on Sept. 4, Jalen Carter, defensive lineman on the Philadelphia Eagles football team, was suspended for two weeks and fined $57,222 for spitting on Dallas Cowboys player, Dak Prescott.
These occurrences have sparked my concern that integrity and respect among professional athletes is diminishing. Sportsmanship is what holds the sports community together. If we lose respect, athletes will feel discouraged, rather than inspired. Nobody enjoys being insulted or booed. Only by holding ourselves and our athletes to a higher standard can we preserve the joy of sport. But, these instances mentioned above only show the lack of sportsmanship among the players, when there have also been extreme issues with crowds and fans who are watching these professional sports.
Golf is an individual and therefore mental sport, and audiences are expected to be respectful to the golfers. These expectations were dismissed by fans during this year’s Ryder Cup, a golf event anticipated worldwide, as American audience members heckled and taunted Rory McIlroy, European and professional golfer. According to ABC News, McIlroy finds golf to be a unifying sport that teaches and deserves respect. “Sometimes this week, we didn’t see that,” McIlroy said. “This should not be what is acceptable in the Ryder Cup.” I agree with McIlroy’s statement, as this discourteous behavior from the crowd should not be allowed at such a high-stakes event.
All of these recent events indicate that there is an increasing lack of sportsmanship among fans and professional sports players. It seems professional athletes and adult spectators are behaving in ways we would not accept from our youth. We cannot possibly expect our young athletes to do better if this is the example that is being set for them about appropriate conduct.