No Excuses, Just Class 568.4
It was extraordinary. With two seconds left, Brent Barry of the San Antonio Spurs took a shot that could have won a crucial game in the NBA playoffs. As he turned to shoot, he was bumped by a hard-charging Laker. Barry’s shot missed. No foul was called. Game over. Lakers win. It was a heartbreaking loss for San Antonio players and fans.
I’m a Laker fan, but it looked like a foul to me, which would have entitled the Spurs to free throws that could have sent the game to overtime. I hate it when a great game ends in a controversial call.
I expected the Spurs to claim they were robbed (a claim made more believable because the referee had a history of protested calls against the Spurs). But Barry refused to blame the official. It was a “a good defensive play and no call.”
Did I hear right? Amazingly classy, I thought, but wait until they ask “pull no punches” Spurs Coach Greg Popovich. He could have gotten the fans off his back and blamed the officials, but he didn’t. “If I were refereeing,” he said, “I would not have called a foul.”
No excuses; just more class.
In fact, good sportsmanship is breaking out all over the NBA. Winning and losing teams refusing to gloat or taunt, rejecting excuses about injuries or bad calls, greeting opponents warmly before games, congratulating them graciously after losses. Is this really pro sports?
To lots of passionate sports fans, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. Being commended for good sportsmanship is like a beauty contestant winning the Ms. Congeniality Award – it’s not what you came to get.
But when it’s done right by great athletes, sportsmanship isn’t just wholesome; it’s awesome. And with all the ready criticism I and others have heaped on pro sports in recent years, the NBA deserves praise.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
*Laker coaches and players have been just as classy during the playoffs, always speaking politely and respectfully about their opponents. It’s what good role-modeling is about, and it certainly hasn't dulled the competitive edge for anyone.
Laker player Kobe Bryant has matured wonderfully. His interviews are excellent examples of winning with grace and losing with dignity, and his refusal to use his back or finger injuries as a reason for subpar performances has been outstanding.
I was even more impressed with the way Spurs star Manu Ginobili handled himself after two poor performances in the opening games of the series. Interviewers wanted to explain his ineffectiveness as a result of fatigue or an ankle injury. Ginobili refused. Clearly upset with himself, he was totally accountable. “I played horribly. I owe my team better.” He made no excuses.
This was an impressive display of real sports machismo. Despite my Lakers loyalty, I found myself rooting for him to do well in the third game (which he did, only to have another bad game in Game 4). I’d vote for him for “class” president.
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Comments
Those of us who follow the Spurs for the reason you cited are proud of our team which lost in the way it did. Good sportsmanship may be starting to break out all over the NBA, but the Spurs have been practicing it to some extent for years. And, yes, the Lakers are bringing up the rear.
Posted by: Noe Rodriguez, Jr. | May 29, 2008 11:21 PM
I use your comments and add or subtract some of the content to tell at my Boy Scout meetings. I'm not a big sports fan because of the ‘winning is everything’ attitude, the gloating and blaming. If accountability is where sports are headed, I may have to relook my view of athletes.
Posted by: Mike Hain | May 30, 2008 11:14 AM
TO Mr. Josephson and the entire staff of Josephson Institute:
I have to start by saying this letter is long due to you. I have been listening to you on the radio at KNX1070 in LA for as long as I can remember, maybe over 10 years. I always look forward to hearing your commentary, wondering before the minute when you air what the next lesson I would learn or carry out to start my day. And if I miss your message that morning I look forward to the email that your staff have forward to me. You have enriched my life with many pondering thoughts, at times tearful, yet smiles of becoming a better person. So in closing I would like to thank you for sharing your wisdom, your generosity, and most your unconditional friendship. You have become a friend, a mentor, and a companion through the happy and not so happy days. As a native local Hawaiian gal, Mahalo Nue Loa "Thank you very much" and Aloha
Posted by: janice | May 30, 2008 9:24 PM
I find it interesting that no one has commented. What you have said is absolutely true and I'm very impressed with the way professional sports has turned in the last few months. I realize that passions run high when in competitive situations, but I admire athletes who accept that because they are in the position they are in. They are role models to the next generations of players.
Posted by: Jim | June 1, 2008 6:51 PM
I am a huge Lakers fan. And even though the Spurs are not the team I cheer for, I also thought a foul should have been called. I thought the situation was dealt with in a professional manner. And I was very happy with the way the Spurs responded to it.
Posted by: Marisela | June 4, 2008 10:49 AM