Lack of Sportsmanship
I’m Chuck Wilson with an ESPN Radio Extra Point.
This morning I rise in support of Harlem Little League Manager Morris McWilliams, who admonished a couple of his young players for showboating and trash talking during the Little League World Series.
The kids exhibited poor sportsmanship and he spoke to them about it.
Clearly, he did the right thing. But this past week, it’s been suggested that a reprimand was unnecessary.
Mike Freeman wrote in the NY Times, that to blacks, hotdogging is a vital part of the game.
ESPN’s Dan Le Batard suggested in the Miami Herald that the “the right way” to play sports is often a euphemism for “the white way” to play sports and referred to “sportsmanship as it tends to be defined by white America.”
Ralph Wiley on ESPN’s Page 2 pretty much suggested that those unhappy with the way the kids acted are anti-black.
Is this what its come to?
If you believe in sportsmanship you’re labeled “culturally biased”?
I recognize there are cultural differences.
But this isn’t a black and white issue.
This is about showing respect for your opponent.
Can’t we agree there’s a value in that?
Founder & Executive Director
Chuck Wilson is an award-winning host, interviewer, and commentator. He was an original host on ESPN Radio and was with the network for close to 17-years. In 2007, Wilson was named one of the 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America by the Institute for International Sport. He is the founder of Even Field.