Tuesday, August 21, 2018

What is true sportsmanship?

In August, 2016, the youth soccer team from Barcelona, Spain, was playing against a Japanese team in Tokyo for the U-12 Junior Soccer World Challenge. The game was hard-fought and close until the Spanish youth won a spectacular 1-0 victory. The Barcelona team formed a huddle and jumped up and down for joy, until they noticed something.

                                                                                                                                   Youtube
The Japanese players were emotionally crushed. After the defeat, some were crying, or shaking, or simply crumpled on the ground in despair. Barcelona players responded in a way that went viral on social media. They scattered around the field, embracing their Japanese opponents. They hugged them and consoled them. As shown in this Youtube screenshot, they comforted the defeated players. Many believe this form of sportsmanship is even greater than winning a game.

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