Good sportsmanship an essential tool

As a kid, my brother used to throw the checkers board when he lost the game. He’d be so mad. During the game he was a sunny, fun opponent, until he perceived he was losing. Then black clouds rolled in and the battle to get one’s checker kinged was a bitter competition.

The repercussion to his temper tantrum? Eventually, no one would play with him. Except Mom, because she always let him win. I’m not sure when he keyed in that no one wanted to play with him, or if he realized the reduction of game opportunities resulted from his poor conduct. As an adult, he played a lot of card games with our sister and her family. But he would still be surly when he lost, though he didn’t throw the cards or give his grumpiness a physical release.

I believe teaching children good sportsmanship has effects well beyond merely playing games with a measure of decorum. It’s a framework for adulthood, for approaching societal constructs and adult relationships with fairness, acceptance and a realistic eye.

I played a game with my 6-year-old granddaughter a year or so ago, a game she “always won.” Within the first few rounds, I won. We moved on to the next round and kept playing. Her mom was amazed at her daughter’s agreeable nature after her defeat. She told me every time her daughter lost a game, she reacted with rage, throwing the pieces and shouting her displeasure. My granddaughter attempted to cheat, but I called her out and we started over. I didn’t lecture. I didn’t scold. I just gathered up all the cards, reshuffled and dealt. I also cheered for her when she scored points and when she won.

I modeled good sportsmanship. From me, she learned that winning the game was secondary to the enjoyment of the competition. We have since played this game multiple times, we are pretty evenly matched. We each win about as often as we lose. She now cheers for me when I score and win. She still tries to cheat, the little dickens, and I still re-deal and start over the round.

Our world leaders must excel in fairness and goodwill toward one another. It’s essential to a well-maintained world order and peace. Currently, it seems in short supply, as evidenced by the disruption of world trade and multiple wars brought on by autocratic governments, whose side deals line their pockets and feed their oligarch buddies’ war machines. 

The human atrocities committed and economic instabilities caused by these wars, plus our president’s constant lashing out, seems responsible for much of the world’s trade issues and have resulted in Western countries no longer viewing the U.S. as the top world leader. The U.S. has taught the rest of the world that our government is too unstable and volatile to be trusted with the reins controlling much of the world’s economy, its planetary regulations overseeing pollution, fisheries, world hunger/health and the promotion of peace.

A new world leader may be coming together with the middle-powers coalescing their respective strengths. We are watching this in real time. Recently, Canada accepted an invitation to join the European Union as an associate member. Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand may follow this path, as well. The resulting World Union could provide a thoughtful and measured voice as the world’s new leader -- a voice to solidify resistance to autocratically-governed countries taking over their coalition countries as well as other countries it could champion.

Simply put, the world is searching for a voice and leader invested in and willing to defend fairness for all, a leader who has proven that he or she will wield all those excellent tools of good sportsmanship. Bravo.