The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Shane Frederick

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June 1, 2009

Come on, LeBron, be a good sport

The game ends and you brush off your shirt and shorts.

You call out to your team. Tell them to line up.

“Behind Jack!” you shout, picking the player closest to the middle of the diamond.

The boys know what to do from there. They stick out their right hand and start walking, kicking up a little more dust over the long shadows that signal the end of another youth baseball game.

When the first hand touches the first hand of the other line, the chanting begins:

Good game.

The lines always seem to have a surprising flow to them, especially compared to the chaos that ensued over the preceding hour, and it’s a nice sound to coaches and parents.

Good game. Good game. Good game. Good game. ...

Despite the monotone delivery, you hope the words are sincere.

You hope the kids know what they mean and why they’re doing it.

You hope that, as they get older, they won’t need to be prompted or lined up. You hope that Jack will be the one gathering up his teammates, calling them over to the pitcher’s mound and marching them toward the other team, ready to congratulate the guys on the other side of the field for a well-played competition.

Win or lose.

Good game. Good game. Good game. ...

Of course, there’s no guarantee that they will do that.

Just look at what happened Saturday night in Orlando, Fla., when the Orlando Magic finished off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

After the game ended, the cameras caught LeBron James leaving the court without shaking hands with anyone from the Magic, without congratulating his Olympic teammate Dwight Howard, who had played a tremendous game and series. James also left the arena without speaking to reporters.

James won the NBA’s most valuable player award this season. He had a fabulous playoff run that was surprisingly cut short by the Magic. He’s arguably the best player on the planet. He’s a joy to watch as both a dominant basketball player as well as someone who enjoys the game and has fun when he’s playing.

The latter is something you try to instill in kids when you teach them team and individual sports.

After all, it is a game. It’s supposed to be fun.

But suddenly James has become a sore loser, a spoil sport and a crybaby. He didn’t win, and he “stormed out” of the arena, according to The Associated Press.

Some have suggested that James is such a fierce competitor that he should get a pass for taking the loss so hard.

Come on.

When the Stanley Cup finals finish next week, the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who will have spent several days beating each other up, will line up and shake hands and congratulate each other on a hard-fought series.

It’s a tradition that the NHL has that the NBA, the NFL and Major League Baseball do not — although, generally, those other sports often do have some informal handshakes and other gatherings.

A little sportsmanship and a little respect. Is that so hard?

Sometime after a game. Not too long ago. Somewhere in Ohio, some coach certainly must have called out to his team. Told them to line up. “Behind LeBron!”

Good game. Good game. Good game. ...



Shane Frederick is a Free Press staff writer. Click here to access his college hockey blog or e-mail him at sfrederick@mankatofreepress.com.

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Shane Frederick