Poor Sportsmanship
I wonder if being a bad sport is something that is learned or is a genetic predisposition. Or is it that unless you are taught how to have good sportsmanship your default behavior is to be an obnoxious prick when out in the field.
Today I encountered several individuals that exhibited some pretty bad behavior. The It involved an arrogant cyclist that refused to yield any part of the roadway while riding, even though he had two full traffic lanes in which to ride. He felt that it was his moral right to plunge headlong into runners should they be too close in the cycle lane.
Normally when this happens to me, I would simply thrust out my elbow to give the offender a nice solid jolt. On this day however, I was inclined to avoid any further cycling related injury. My spills over the last couple of weeks have been more than enough. This had occurred while I was running with my friends Chris and Marcos. Chris is a much larger guy than I am and probably would have come out on the better side had he threw a shoulder or elbow into the guy. This was our plan and I anxiously waited to see what would happen. We didn’t get to see if that would happen though, since apparently the cyclist had left the park. It was probably for the best, but it would have been satisfying to see the guy go down (is that bad sportsmanship?).
I proceeded to run with Chris and Marcos for another 6 miles. They were accompanying me through the middle third of my run. The pace was a little slower than I’d have liked, but the company certainly made the time seem to go much faster. It felt good to be running with a couple of friends guys who shared the same sorts of issues in regards to wife, family, children, etc. It was male bonding at its finest.
After they left, I started to increase my pace in order to get my workout done in time to see my daughter’s soccer game. I was just wrapping up mile 18 and headed over to the soccer field when my wife called and asked where I was. I told her I was on my way and asked if she brought my recovery drink with her. Unfortunately, she didn’t see my note so I had to run home to get it. I couldn’t stand around after running 20 miles without having something to put in my stomach. So I ran home, grabbed my drink and jumped on my bike to make in to the game in time for the second half.
I rode back home after the game, beating my wife and kids who drove home in our car. I was able to grab another bite to eat and take a shower, before I headed back out for my son’s soccer game. It was at his game where encountered an elitist soccer snob who was unfortunately coaching for the other team. The guy was wearing an Italian soccer shirt and you would have thought he was coaching the Italian national team in the World Cup. During the game the guy was a permanent fixing on the field as he personally coached all of his players. The rules clearly state that coaches, parents, etc. are not to be on the field and when I asked him to move to the side he became quite indignant. I was refereeing the game and he took major offense to this request.
He stayed on the side for about another minute, whereupon he proceeded back on the field. It was so bad; he may as well have been an additional player on the field. I asked him once again to stay on the sidelines, but his response this time was to pull his team from the field. I thought about letting him just take his team to his side of the field to play with themselves, but I saw the disappointed look on the on my player’s faces. I didn’t have the heart to let the game end at this point, especially since it was the last game of the season. So I just capitulated to the guy in order to get the game back on track.
It was very awkward and lopsided against my team for the remainder of the game, but the kids still seemed to be having fun. To add insult to injury, this coach also would bench players from his team in order to put in his bigger and better players. This is a cardinal sin in the eyes of AYSO; every child is to get equal and fair playing time, but all this guy was concerned with was winning. When his team eventually won, he even started preening to them about how they had won the game. Normally scores at this level are not even kept. The guy even refused to get in line at the end of the game to shake hands with my players, much less me. I was perfectly happy with that because I didn’t want my kids or I to catch whatever virus made this guy a total asshole.
The experience really brought my mood down, but I tried to hide my disgust from my team. After the game we gathered around for the presentation of the year end trophies and for a round of donuts that I purchased for them. Everyone seemed to be very happy, especially when the donuts were broken out. I am so glad I coached this season. It’s been one of the highlights of my year so far.
When we got back home, I decided to unwind and relax a little by mowing my backyard. I’d say grass but what is growing back there could hardly be considered as such. My backyard has been completely neglected for this entire year. My daughter remarked how we would definitely win the award for the worst backyard.first encounter was while I was doing my 20 mile run in Prospect Park this morning. Mowing that yard was more akin to slashing and burning the rainforest. I definitely destroyed and ecosystem today. By clearing away the brush though, I was able to find a bunch of worms for my son to put in a worm terrarium that he got for his birthday. The worms are now happily living in a jar underneath my bathroom sink. It was the least we could do for them since I destroyed their home with my lawn mower. 
Today I encountered several individuals that exhibited some pretty bad behavior. The It involved an arrogant cyclist that refused to yield any part of the roadway while riding, even though he had two full traffic lanes in which to ride. He felt that it was his moral right to plunge headlong into runners should they be too close in the cycle lane.
Normally when this happens to me, I would simply thrust out my elbow to give the offender a nice solid jolt. On this day however, I was inclined to avoid any further cycling related injury. My spills over the last couple of weeks have been more than enough. This had occurred while I was running with my friends Chris and Marcos. Chris is a much larger guy than I am and probably would have come out on the better side had he threw a shoulder or elbow into the guy. This was our plan and I anxiously waited to see what would happen. We didn’t get to see if that would happen though, since apparently the cyclist had left the park. It was probably for the best, but it would have been satisfying to see the guy go down (is that bad sportsmanship?).
I proceeded to run with Chris and Marcos for another 6 miles. They were accompanying me through the middle third of my run. The pace was a little slower than I’d have liked, but the company certainly made the time seem to go much faster. It felt good to be running with a couple of friends guys who shared the same sorts of issues in regards to wife, family, children, etc. It was male bonding at its finest.
After they left, I started to increase my pace in order to get my workout done in time to see my daughter’s soccer game. I was just wrapping up mile 18 and headed over to the soccer field when my wife called and asked where I was. I told her I was on my way and asked if she brought my recovery drink with her. Unfortunately, she didn’t see my note so I had to run home to get it. I couldn’t stand around after running 20 miles without having something to put in my stomach. So I ran home, grabbed my drink and jumped on my bike to make in to the game in time for the second half.
I rode back home after the game, beating my wife and kids who drove home in our car. I was able to grab another bite to eat and take a shower, before I headed back out for my son’s soccer game. It was at his game where encountered an elitist soccer snob who was unfortunately coaching for the other team. The guy was wearing an Italian soccer shirt and you would have thought he was coaching the Italian national team in the World Cup. During the game the guy was a permanent fixing on the field as he personally coached all of his players. The rules clearly state that coaches, parents, etc. are not to be on the field and when I asked him to move to the side he became quite indignant. I was refereeing the game and he took major offense to this request.
He stayed on the side for about another minute, whereupon he proceeded back on the field. It was so bad; he may as well have been an additional player on the field. I asked him once again to stay on the sidelines, but his response this time was to pull his team from the field. I thought about letting him just take his team to his side of the field to play with themselves, but I saw the disappointed look on the on my player’s faces. I didn’t have the heart to let the game end at this point, especially since it was the last game of the season. So I just capitulated to the guy in order to get the game back on track.
It was very awkward and lopsided against my team for the remainder of the game, but the kids still seemed to be having fun. To add insult to injury, this coach also would bench players from his team in order to put in his bigger and better players. This is a cardinal sin in the eyes of AYSO; every child is to get equal and fair playing time, but all this guy was concerned with was winning. When his team eventually won, he even started preening to them about how they had won the game. Normally scores at this level are not even kept. The guy even refused to get in line at the end of the game to shake hands with my players, much less me. I was perfectly happy with that because I didn’t want my kids or I to catch whatever virus made this guy a total asshole.
The experience really brought my mood down, but I tried to hide my disgust from my team. After the game we gathered around for the presentation of the year end trophies and for a round of donuts that I purchased for them. Everyone seemed to be very happy, especially when the donuts were broken out. I am so glad I coached this season. It’s been one of the highlights of my year so far.
When we got back home, I decided to unwind and relax a little by mowing my backyard. I’d say grass but what is growing back there could hardly be considered as such. My backyard has been completely neglected for this entire year. My daughter remarked how we would definitely win the award for the worst backyard.first encounter was while I was doing my 20 mile run in Prospect Park this morning. Mowing that yard was more akin to slashing and burning the rainforest. I definitely destroyed and ecosystem today. By clearing away the brush though, I was able to find a bunch of worms for my son to put in a worm terrarium that he got for his birthday. The worms are now happily living in a jar underneath my bathroom sink. It was the least we could do for them since I destroyed their home with my lawn mower. 
posted by Rebel at 4:43 PM
1 Comments:
Ballet AND soccer, eh? Hm... the ballet should give her grace on the field, while the soccer (and your fine example) should give her the discipline needed to excel in ballet. A fine combination.
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