sports·man·ship: fair and generous behavior or treatment of others, especially in a sports contest (Oxford Dictionary).

In recent years, sportsmanship has been a hot topic in sports because of the numerous incidents of bad sportsmanship that has made the news cycle all too often. Bad sportsmanship has been on of the main reasons we are currently seeing the shortage of officials across all sports.

Back when Bobby Orr served as an honorary coach during a few Summer Games in the mid-1990s, he wrote a guest column on sportsmanship that was published in pretty much every local newspaper. Titled "Sports don't always mean winning and losing," Orr discussed the importance of the values that come from sport - teamwork, discipline, and self-esteem. As we all know, Bobby Orr is one of the greatest ice hockey players of all-time. He spent the majority of his life at this point in and around sports. He knows a thing or two.

Orr says, "I believe we all have the great opportunity to help mold young people's lives through sports - as parents, volunteers, sponsors , and as fans." This article was written almost 30 years ago, but his words still ring true and are extremely relevant to the current landscape of sport.

Beginning in 2003, the Bay State Games created a “sportsmanship initiative” which was implemented into the annual Summer Games. It was created to educate Bay State Games participants on the elements of good sportsmanship. In it's early days, this program was presented by New Balance. Since 2022, Bay State Games, alongside DICK'S Sporting Goods will recognize athletes & teams who are role models for sportsmanship. This programs aims to help curb the incivility we are seeing in sports among players, coaches, & spectators.

For more on the Sportsmanship Initiative, click here.