Sporting etiquette

[Bradley Eugene]

The song goes "Teach your children well" etc........ Well what are we teaching our children when adults behave like lunatics? When adults who are watching their off spring at a badminton tournament, cheer at every opponents mistakes, cheer when a ten year old, yes only ten! falls on the court. Cheer and shout to try and put off the opponent. The other things that worries me is the fact that the married pair, had their friend with them, who by the way does not have a child playing, as one of the instigators. So what are we teaching our children? That is it right to act like that? That there is no sportmanship? That if a visiting side comes to play, Oranjemund people have the right to behave like soccer holigans and not support all the players? Yes cheer, jeer,laugh,swear for all players or your team, but only if it is against people of your own size and age, who can brush it off or give back what you have dished out. Don't deliberately pick on a ten year old who respects her elders and happens to be exceptionally good at what she does and tries really hard. The fact that she came back from 12/3 down first set to end 15/12, and then went on to win the next two sets should suffice and show through her sobs that at the end of the game, she went to her opponent who had fallen on the floor at the end of the game, picked her up, shook her hand and said well played.
Charmain, you, your husband and Jaapie, should be ashamed of yourselves. You should be banned from the club, better still you should be banned from ever attending any childrens sporting event in our little oasis. This is not how Oranjemunders behave. I was ashamed sitting there watching your appalling behaviour. Am I a coward for not getting up and coming to speak to you? Yes I am, but there again I did not want my children see their father stoop to a level that you are all at. I sat them down at home and explained that not every body is like that and most people are decent human beings and that by picking yourself up and starting all over again, even if you don't win you are a winner, a winner in human kindness, a winner in sportmanship, but most of all a winner in life!

[Bertie Horak]

  Bradley!  Coward? No, I think you handled it great, not letting their moronic behavior drag you down to their impaired intellectual and surely uninformed state.

So sad that there has to be people like that in a community.  I doubt if they would get very far in life though - with that mentality they will definitely not be able to lead others to success or play a part in improving conditions and performance of ANY organization.  Shame. 

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."   - Nelson Mandela

[toonfandangl]

Well said Bradley!! with you all the way!!! I think a lot of the attitude today stems from the culture that has been created by TV and Film Violence.

[SandyB]

Well written  Bradley .. I agree .. I  cannot  handle overly  competitive parents who it  seems  push their  non accomplishment  or  failure onto their kids ..  children   should be children  be competitive   but not in any detrimenatl way ..  sadly so  sport is becoming the new from of " gladiatorism"   and yes big money involved .. hence the corruption and  drug scandals  .. just watch the  american wrestling  programmes  ,, they teach all the wrong things ie :  bad losers and arrogant stomp  your opponent  winners .. not  right  .. not right .. they ought to ban that  shyt  here ..  let the americans wallow in it ...  all values are crumbling in my opinion ..its good that you  sat your kids down and  explained  what was right and wrong , wish more parents would  do so ..  but here comes the crunch Bradley ..  we still dont really know who you are .. come on  show  your face and who are if you  wish to speak your truth ... Sandy