CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: CITIZENSHIP & SPORTSMANSHIP

From the IHSAA December 1999 Bulletin

Citizenship and sportsmanship are the underlying values of interscholastic athletics. Without an emphasis on citizenship and sportsmanship it is easy for participants to lose perspective of what interscholastic athletics stands for and allow winning to become the most important aspect of athletic programs.

Do your share:

• DO: Care about your family, friends, school, and community. Be concerned about what is right for everyone. Volunteer and become involved in school and community service projects. Participate in the democratic process by voicing your opinion and voting. Protect the environment by conserving natural resource and recycling.

• DON'T: Let others down by not doing what's expected of you.

Respect Authority:

• DO: Play by the letter and spirit of the rules. Impress upon your players the importance of everyone playing by the rules. Respect the decisions of contest officials. Consistently enforce all school and team rules. Define acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Obey authority figures.

• DON'T: Argue with officials or show inappropriate emotions to incite fans. Allow players to "trash talk."

Remember, in athletics, as in life, CHARACTER COUNTS!

Excerpts taken from CHARACTER COUNTS!, a project of the Josephson Institute for Ethics.