(#3) HONORING THE GAMESportsmanship may seem like an out-of-date concept today when professional athletes and coaches act in ways we would not want our children to imitate. We intend to reverse this trend on our teams with the concept of "Honoring the Game." Honoring the Game gets to the ROOTT of the matter, where ROOTT stands for respect for:
Rules
Opponents
Officials
Teammates
Tradition
Rules: Respect for the rules is important, even when it's possible to break them without getting caught. Our teams should play to the letter and spirit of the rules, and to refrain from "bending" them when it dishonors the game.
Opponents: Without opponents, competitive sports make no sense. A worthy opponent challenges us to do our best. We must respect opponents and remember they are members of our community. We should try our hardest to win but not at the expense of demeaning or demonizing our opponents. Show respect for opposing coaches and teams and teach that to your athletes.
Officials: Officials have been selected and trained to enforce rules to keep sports from degenerating into chaos. Officials are not perfect (just like coaches, athletes and parents!) and sometimes make mistakes. However, there is no excuse for treating officials with disrespect when they make errors. Players and their parents should show respect for officials, even when they disagree with the call.
Teammates: Players should feel a commitment to each other as teammates. Encourage and support one another on and off the playing field.
Tradition: The game our children play has a great tradition. Share that tradition with your athletes. 1) Let your players know that you want him or her to honor the game. Discuss the meaning of each element of ROOTT with your team. This idea may be difficult for younger children to understand so you may have to adapt the idea to the age and comprehension level of your child. 2) Be a good role model. Cheer your team and the opposing team when good plays are made. If, in your opinion, an officiating mistake is made, refrain from yelling at the official. Use this as an opportunity to think about how difficult it is to officiate a game perfectly.
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