Melting Snow

Sportsmanship versus the Desire t o compete

Saturday, June 11, 2016

"I think sportsmanship is knowing that it is a game, that we are only as a good as our opponents, and whether you win or lose, to always give 100 percent."
Sue Wicks

The "Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"  prompt for Day 825
Are you a better sport as an adult or more competitive than you were as a child?

Dictionary.com1 defines competitive2 as an adverb with several definitions. Basically it's a strong desire to compete or to succeed. Dictionary.com defines sportsmanship as a verb3 which had to do with character or conduct. I don't see that good sportsmanship excludes the desire to be competitive or to succeed.

In order to be competitive a person has to have a strong desire to accomplish something. The desire to accomplish something eventually leads to success of some type, but it doesn't exclude good sportsmanship. Good sportsmanship is something that can come naturally to a person, but it can also be learned. Being competitive is also something that can come naturally or it can be learned.

Age and experience has made me a better sport because I realize that success is built upon failure. I've also learned that everyone has different abilities so if I'm not as good at an activity then someone else that doesn't mean I'm a failure. It could be that I need to learn something about myself or the activity I'm attempting.

Footnotes
1  http://www.dictionary.com/
2  http://www.dictionary.com/browse/competitive?s=ts
3  http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sportsmanship?s=t