Sportsmanship

My husband has been coaching for going on 11 years, and while he is still in the beginning part of his coaching career, some days it feels like he's been coaching forever. In those 11 years, I have seen him win big, lose big, scrape by, and narrowly miss that last touchdown. Even though I have, at times, had no idea what's going on (I'm getting better!), I love watching his players on the field. It makes me really proud when I see them do something great and I know that he had a part in that big play. I know a lot of time, commitment, film-watching, blood, sweat and tears goes into each and every down. It's very emotional, and it can't be easy to put in all that work and then walk away with a loss.

But in all of our 11 years, one thing I have been the most proud of is Coach's sportsmanship. He coaches with his whole heart, but he always coaches and lives his life with integrity. He said something to me after the Game the other night (a tough loss) that really stuck with me. "You have to coach with a certain assertiveness, but there's no room for disrespect. I try to just be nice. I think it goes a long way." I thought, after he said that, that he has always won with humility. He's not really a boastful person, and I feel like people respect him for that.

Unfortunately, not all coaches do win with humility. Fortunately, the coaches on our staff are not those people. Every single one of them sets a good example for their players, which is why I'm proud to watch Tiger football games. After the Game last week, I think Coach and his staff received a great opportunity for a teaching moment with their players on how to take a win humbly. Out of respect, I won't mention any specifics here, but Coach recently experienced a very poor display of sportsmanship when an opposing coach (who had just beaten our team) turnedand walked away instead of shaking my husband's hand in good sportsmanship. Coach was dumbfounded at first, but he handled it well. In the end, he is the bigger person, and that speaks louder than words to these young players; unfortunately, so do the actions of this other coach.

Coach has yet to win a game as a head coach (he's only one game in), but when he does taste victory, I know that he will shake the hands of everyone on the opposing team, look them in the eye, and with all sincerity tell them, "Good job." Because that is what good people do. It's what good coaches do. They set a good example for the young people on their teams and they set a standard for their coaching staff. I am proud of my husband every single day he steps on the gridiron, but I am never prouder than when he represents our little town and displays good Sportsmanship. Both good and bad displays of sportsmanship go such a long way, and people notice, either way. I know I do.