|
Reader question: Please explain “bad sport” as in this sentence (Economist.com, February 23, 2013): Criminal courts in Japan have long relied heavily on confessions for proof of guilt. Though the accused have a right to silence, failure to admit a crime is considered bad sport. My comments: Failure to admit a crime after committing it is considered, in other words, unsportsmanlike, i.e. contrary to fair play and other generally accepted rules of social behavior. Committing a crime is hardly a sport but that’s where “bad sport” stems from at any rate. In the sports field, there are all sorts of behavioral codes that go beyond winning and losing. Ideals like fair play and sportsmanship are what make a player sportsmanlike or, such a bad sport. Ideally, a player should win and lose with dignity and class. If he wins, for example, he should show proper signs of restraint in celebration. That is to say, he does not showboat too much and especially does not rub it in the face of losing component, say, by running circles round him while brandishing his fists and shouting insults. If he loses, he’s supposed to maintain his dignity and decorum by shaking hands with the winner instead of, say, leaving the court without acknowledging his opponent or the fans. In team sports, such as basketball and soccer, players often admit verbally to a mistake they have just made. “My bad”, they say out loud to their surrounding teammates. | 
