bad sportsmanship

For those who like to reminisce (sp?), what are the worst cases of bad sportsmanship that you have seen (not necessarily live) and why. Here are a few I remember:

1. Mary Decker's reaction after her collision with Zola Budd in the 84 Olympics. She behaved like a cry baby, wouldnt accept Zola's apology ever, and was the one most responsible for the collision in the first place.

2. Woody Hayes punching the Clemson football player. Be a professional for god sakes.

3. Mike Tyson biting Holyfield's ear during their fight - no explanation needed.

4. Justin Henin in the French Open semis vs. Serena Williams. She raised her hand during Serena's serve. When Serena said she tanked the serve because Justin raised her hand, Justin wouldnt admit to raising her hand (it's all on tape).

 

A couple that quickly came to mind;

1. Roberto Duran angrily swiping away Sugar Ray Leonards outstretched arms at the end of their first bout (brawl in Montreal) in which Duran won on a decision, can you say "no mas" in the rematch Roberto??

2. Roger Clemens throwing the broken bat (claims he was getting it off the field) at Mike Piazza in the World Series, didn't take a lip reader to figure out what Piazza was saying.

3. The Detroit Pistons (Isiah, Laimbeer, and the rest of those a-holes) walking off the court right past the Chicago Bulls bench w/out shaking hands at Detroit before the game was over ending the Pistons championship run and starting the Bulls dynasty. Even their classy coach Chuck Daly was embarrassed.

4. Late in the 2002 WC knockout game vs Mexico with the game basically over Rafa Marquez cheap shotting Cobi Jones w/a head butt and getting red carded.

 

I'm guilty as charged Hatter. Still think that game was literally stolen from the USA by the officials. However, I was too young at the time so all my memories are from US media/ESPN accounts of the game. Still it seems pretty clear the US was robbed.

Like the soccer contributions. I'll have to look up the liverpool one.

 

Not only are the USA Olympic Team's silver medals still in a vault in Switzerland, one member of the team put a codicil in his will forbidding his wife or children from taking possession of it. Childish bad sportsmanship.


I don't really agree with the loss to the Soviets. It was boys versus men. The Soviets were more or less professionals and the refs did make a mistake. And I don't think many people really care about it. It's a nice story, but not that big of a deal. I wasn't around when it happened though.

Zola Bud also had some issues as well. She really wasn't British, but South African and was known to have a bad attitude

 

Italians, all the time, particularly in the World Cup, particularly against Australia, %#&ing Italians

Fernando Alonso, details are a little sketchy on what exactly all went down but one things for certain; he's a whiny one. Micheal Schumacher as well in '94.

Generally speaking I find good sportsmanship is often overrated. I'll take Seve Ballesteros over Jack Nicklaus on most days. So shoot me I guess.

 

Leonardo's blatant elbow that crushed the cheekbone of Tab Ramos at the '94 World Cup. John McEnroe (sp?) and Martina Hingis. I'll have to think of some others

 

Spencer, there is a fine line between "gamemanship" and being a poor sportsman. Seve would walk the line (especially in the Ryder Cup), but when the dust had settled he won/lost with class. Jack was always classy in defeat, but it was never a question he wanted to beat your brains in. You definitely want your favorite athletes to compete to the enth degree, but to be an ass in victory/defeat is the opposite of what sports is meant to be.

Funniest bad sportsmanship. Not a tennis fan, but as a kid in the 70's there was 5 tv channels. Wimbledon around 1978, John McEnroe being his usual petulant self during a match w/Jimmy Connors, and Jimbo of all people point his finger in Lil Mac's face and yelling at him to shut up and stop bothering the umpire.

 

That’s fair I suppose. My complaint is that it seems many people, self righteous tv commentators and soccer moms come to mind, think to have or use gamesmanship is equal to being a bad sport.

 

For me, as an Englishman, and as I was 12 at the time so it felt like the whole world ended...

Maradona's handball in the 1986 world cup.

My personal most common bad sportsmanship moment is any footballer who simulates giving another player a red/yellow card to the ref. Not done by many prem footballers, but seen often against Italian sides!

 

how bout these parents that are verbally attacking teenage refs at their kids games? Or the ones that physically attack like this idiot coach. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=re ... UxRwB9b2dk

 

Hey Spencer, I represent, I mean resent that. I am a soccer mom. If you notice, my submissions didnt include any examples of gamesmanship and I do understand the difference. Being a big tennis fan, I could have included some McEnroe examples but couldnt because most of his were gamesmanship, and when they werent he knew how to walk the fine line between the two. I agree with SoCalJoe that being a good sport is the essense of sports.

Also, plenty of soccer moms are bad sports. Has nothing to do with sportsmanship/gamesmanship but rather about whether the world revolves around their perfect little angel.

 

I've discussed this issue with others and some feel gamesmanship is worse than bad sportsmanship. They feel gamesmanship is trying to get an unfair advantage by affecting your opponent in some way that has nothing to do with the sport. And they feel bad sportsmanship is often isolated and has more to do with giving your all, the heat of the moment, and being human. What do you all think? I guess maybe it's just the extreme examples of both that are bad (like Dida with the Celtic fan - ha, still makes me laugh).

 

Anything that involves Terrell Owens.

 

When I think of gamemanship I think of the highest levels of sports i.e
NFL films catching Lawrence Taylor sacking a qb and telling him 'son, you're gonna have to do better than this' or Larry Bird telling everyone in the locker room before the 3 point contest 'you all are shooting for second place'.

Youth sports is about getting the kids to compete, improve, and working together for the betterment of the team. Btw I'm currently coaching an under 14 girls team and the soccermoms all want to win within the context of doing it the right way.