Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers should have been thrown out of Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals. Nough said. He lacks good sportsmanship, and good sportsmanship is the hallmark and keystone of sports. His dirty, devilish, dastardly deeds and his acrid, acrimonious, acidic antics were part and parcel of the Pacers 117-92 blowout loss to the Miami Heat. “Poor sports,” dirty players and unsportsmanlike conduct have no place in the wide world of sports. None. It’s just like Moma said: “God don’t like ugly.” Again, enough said.
Here are some prized sportsmanship quotes that merit mention and that are worth our while:
Rules cannot substitute for character. — Alan Greenspan, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board
Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste good. — Joe Paterno, college football coach
The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else. — Martina Navratilova, tennis player
If it is a cliché to say athletics build character as well as muscle, then I subscribe to the cliché. — Gerald Ford, 38th President
Sports gives your life structure, discipline, and a pure fulfillment that few other areas of endeavor provide. — Bob Cousy, basketball player
One man practicing good sportsmanship is far better than 50 others preaching it.— Knute Rockne, football coach
I never thought about losing, but now that it’s happened, the only thing is to do it right. — Muhammad Ali, boxer
Football is like life. It teaches work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, selflessness, and respect for authority.— Vince Lombardi, Hall of Fame football coach
Dictators lead through fear; good coaches do not. — John Wooden, Hall of Fame basketball coach
A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are. — Ara Parseghian, football coach
I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, lost almost 300 games, missed the game-winning shot 26 times. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed. — Michael Jordan, basketball player
Champions keep playing until they get it right. — Billie Jean King, tennis player
The only way to prove you’re a good sport is to lose.— Ernie Banks, baseball player
It is your response to winning and losing that makes you a winner or a loser.— Harry Sheehy, athletic director
The difference between a successful person and others is not lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of will. — Vince Lombardi, football coach
It does not matter how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up. — Vince Lombardi, football coach
The will must be stronger than the skill.— Muhammed Ali, boxer
Always imitate the behavior of the winner when you lose. — Anonymous
It’s not up to anyone else to make me give my best. — Hakeem Olajuwon, basketball player
In golf and in life, it’s the follow-through that makes the difference.— Anonymous
If all I’m remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I’ve done a bad job with the rest of my life. — Isiah Thomas, basketball player
Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.— Vince Lombardi, football coach
When the Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, He writes not that you won or lost, but how you played the Game. — Grantland Rice, sportswriter
He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty.— Lao-tzu, Chinese founder of Taoism (fl. 6th century B.C., possibly apocryphal)
Win or lose, do it fairly.— Knute Rockne, American football player and coach (1888-1931) –
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