Post-Election Thoughts: Sportsmanship Award or Penalty?
November 7, 2012

Thank goodness this election is over. Never in all my years of voting (and that’s quite a few) have I seen such divisiveness and bitterness.

I’ve seen rifts between friends over who is voting for whom. Over the past few months, many of my Facebook friends have talked about unfriending others or being unfriended due to politics. On Twitter, it’s simpler — just unfollow.

Nothing is sadder to me than to see politics outweigh relationships, a friendship (virtual or otherwise) lost because of disagreement on issues.

Yes, the issues are important. But they always are.

So I have a few suggestions for how we can begin to move on and maybe even repair some of the rifts:

  • If your guy won, avoid excessive celebration. Y’all know how little I know about football, but last week Jim was watching a game and I noticed a guy got a penalty for excessive celebration. In baseball, there are (unwritten) rules about showing up your opponent when you win. Don’t be a jerk about it. Be a good sport.
  • If your guy lost, no doomsday predictions about how this country is going to hell in a handbasket. Every four years, someone’s guy loses. And, though we’re not without problems, we’re all still standing. Don’t be a jerk about it. Be a good sport.
  • Back to sports. No team ever wins when they are at odds with one another; if you cannot play as a team you’re pretty much screwed. Winning requires a team spirit of unity and the ability to work together for the common good. Let’s put aside the political posturing and rhetoric and move on. And maybe even fix some things.

We teach our kids to be gracious in win or loss; but how do we model that grace today?

Ask yourself: If your kid won/lost a game and behaved as you are today, would he/she win a sportsmanship award or a penalty?

2 Comments

  1. jwsandersjr

    Spot on, dear. Great thoughts.

    Reply

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