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Sportsmanship

Not running up the score is....?


  • Total voters
    30

Goobieman

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Because of someting that happend over the weekend...

Assume that a youth sports team so completely outclasses its opposet that it can score at will, and while doing so, completely shut its opponent out..

Is it good or poor sportsmanship for the superior team to hold back and not run up the score?

Please 'splain your answer.
 
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When I was in youthe leagues we would not run up the score needlessly.
 
Typically there is some form of mercy rule. It's hard to say, I guess it depends on age bracket, the actual events and such. But for the basis I would say no, it doesn't mean they can't act in a way during the running up of a score which is bad sportsmanship; but if you're the better team than that's just it. You know, sometimes Cutler throws beautiful passes for a huge scoring game, sometimes he hucks out 4 interceptions. Just the game.
 
I voted poor sportsmanship. Sports teams are there to compete not give pity to the other team. If one team is much superior than the other then that superior team should score as many points as they can.
 
If you're playing to the best of your ability, and you run up the score without being a jerk about it, then that's the essence of sportsmanship.
 
as a sports official i see this situation all the time
it's the difference between class and low class
 
Poor Sportsmanship, you play to the best of yout ability taking it easy isnt doing favours to anyone. The opposition doesnt learn its lesson, and your players develop bad habits.
 
These are kids in YMCA programs not professional athletes.
 
I don't think "do your best -- unless it makes someone feel bad" is particularly good lesson.

Unfortunately, it does have an annoyingly large currency these days.

If you're not a jerk about it, then you have nothing to apologize for. If you're better, you're better.
 
Poor, it's like me with Billiards, i've been playing for 20 years, so I may make my game harder or give weight to an opponent, but won't hold back past that, they don't see what's possible and don't learn that a humiliating ass whipping hurts for a while, but you can make sure it doesn't happen again with a little discipline, focus, and tons of practice. it's condescending IMO to show mercy needlessly. Now, if you are running up the score and throwing it in your opponents face just to show them up, totally different story.
 
It's a lesson to be learned at any age.

If you want a very young age group just to learn the game, then simply don't keep score at all. But if you do keep score, then teach the right lessons.
 
The point of playing a competitive sport is to win and the best team with the best players should most certainly do that. There's no point in playing to make the other side feel good about themselves. That said, it would be poor sportsmanship to rub the crushing loss in to the losing team, but seriously, how would you feel if you knew you were completely outmatched, got horribly beaten and found out the other team was still taking it easy on you? You'd feel even worse!
 
Dependent on the situation. In sports like baseball and basketball when a team gets ahead by enough they put in their bench players to get them experience. This has the effect of not humiliating the other team to badly. In other sports, especially teams that don't have plenty of bench players, it's not an option and to tell kids people to play less their than best is a horrible thing to teach.
 
I say that purposely running up the score is poor sportmanship. For example, you are up by 35 in the fourth quarter of a football game and you call deep passing plays on first and second down... That's just being a douche.

But if you are running the ball in an attempt to run out the clock and the runningback breaks one for a long gain, so be it. It happens.

I think that purposely running up the score teaches kids all the wrong things about sports. The object is to win the game, not accumulate statistics. Running up the score just accumulates statistics and adds to teh me first mentaility in sports we see so prevalently today.
 
I missvoted. Intentionally running up the score in a youth league is just being dicks. By the time you are in college, it's not such a big deal, but for kids, it serves no purpose, and just kills the fun the other team might have.
 
Poor Sportsmanship, you play to the best of yout ability taking it easy isnt doing favours to anyone. The opposition doesnt learn its lesson, and your players develop bad habits.

Kids in a youth sports league need to "learn their lesson" by getting completely owned in a game? Geez, I'm glad none of my coaches were ever that competitive when I was a kid. I probably would've stopped playing baseball/soccer after one season (or less) if they were.
 
Kids in a youth sports league need to "learn their lesson" by getting completely owned in a game? Geez, I'm glad none of my coaches were ever that competitive when I was a kid. I probably would've stopped playing baseball/soccer after one season (or less) if they were.



Perhaps you should have quit, since you dont understand basica concepts of competition.
 
Poor Sportsmanship, you play to the best of yout ability taking it easy isnt doing favours to anyone. The opposition doesnt learn its lesson, and your players develop bad habits.

yes, the bad habit your players develop is poor sportsmanship

wonder where all the misguided punks in the pros acquired their attitude ... you have given us the answer
 
It depends on what you mean by intentionally running up the score. Participants on the field should always play their best, but once the score reaches a certain point there are certain things that are no longer considered good sportsmanship.

In football, calling deep bomb plays when the game is already locked up is poor sportsmanship. In baseball, stealing bases with a lead greater than five is considered poor sportsmanship. Generally in blowouts, coaches should give their bench players a chance to play. These are generally calls that should be made by the coach, not the player. Players should always give their best. The one thing that players can be held accountable is for needlessly showboating in blowouts.

In my softball league, there used to be a guy who pitched for another team. He was notorious for showboating in blowouts. He'd pitch from behind his back and all sorts of other obnoxious things. He did that to my team once. Then our best player blasted a line drive right back up the middle that narrowly missed him and told him the next one wouldn't miss. He never did that again to our team. ;)
 
Should I be impressed? I would think your union should align with the Deaf and Blind coalition, with the way you call plays.:lol:

so, it seems it was you that had the exposed raw nerve

still waiting to hear what the oxy stand for
 
Perhaps you should have quit, since you dont understand basica concepts of competition.

Nah I liked playing baseball and soccer as a kid. But I would've liked them a lot less if you were my coach. ;)
 
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