Sportsmanship vs success. Which do you value more and why?

[Deleted]

Well, if your livelihood depends on it, sure, go for success.
If it's a pastime, something you do for fun, valuing success over sportsmanship is... stupid. Yes, you can say "i only have fun when i win". That means you don't enjoy the activity, you only enjoy the fact of victory, which makes you an idiot: all the time you spend training, and then the time and the effort of the matches themselves... only for the few seconds of euphoria upon obtaining victory? Better find something to do that makes you happy during training and during the gameplay.

[Jackmoves]

I respect someone who has become successful without being an asshole the most because that takes more effort.

I don't really mind people being jerks at times though, shit doesn't really get to me and sometimes you need to have a bit of a tougher edge or you will get trampled all over and treated as dirt(by the fulltime jerks), play tough against those who play tough and be fair to those who are fair is my melody.

[Spectral]

This is context dependent. I can't remember the last time I wasn't a good sport, because I'm not as competitive as I was when I was younger, but I used to do everything I could to get under an opponents skin playing basketball. Run my mouth nonstop, play aggressively, foul hard when a lighter foul would suffice, play with an edge. That was part of the fun for me. I don't think I'd do that anymore though, I'm just too old for that shit (and I'm only 28!).

edit - My sports of choice these days are running and duathlons though, and those have a TON of sportsmanship built into the culture at local events.

[Hraklea]

I don't feel successful if I don't play with sportsmanship. How can you consider yourself a winner if the other guy/team didn't get a fair chance to win too?

[Deleted]

Long term success. Sometimes you must forgo short term success to maintain the illusion of good sportmanship. Maintaining a good reputation is vital for long term success.

[Deleted]

A little bit of both is what i strive for i suppose.

This whole question is focused on what the answering indiviual sees as the most important thing thought so there is no correct answer. I say as someone else mentioned - choosing the path of sportsmanship can be the tougher way to go sometimes and the success can be seen as the easy way out, for anyone who is only focusing on the goal, this will be the obvious thing to do. While a person who sticks to sportmanship may wanna see and experience the whole trip towards the goal.

Taking the success highway can sometimes also be a reason to see you as a douchbag and ruthless opportunist but if you allready chose this path i suppose one would allready know this and just dont care.

People like sportmanship becuase those people are usually related to helpfullness, playing it fair while people who only go for success and end result are seen as people who only uses you as a footstep while getting up those stairs.

[marthsk]

Because those who follow the rules and are held to their restrictions and STILL win or succeed look way better than someone who took the easy way out. That and if you get caught, you face punishment and removal of everything you got.

But there will always be people who don't care how they look, just so long as they get ahead.

Caring how you look is a sign of self-consciousness, which is a sign of weakness.

Also, you imply that success without "sportsmanship" automatically entails "cheating". You could do it by the book, but just be ruthless about it. That wouldn't make it cheating, yet you wouldn't be the most sportsman-like guy around.

Shades of gray...

[Deleted]

Caring how you look is a sign of self-consciousness, which is a sign of weakness.

Are you fucking kidding me?

If you don't care about how you look and you're not self-conscious at all you're going to have a fucking terrible time in civilized society.

[marthsk]

Are you fucking kidding me?

If you don't care about how you look and you're not self-conscious at all you're going to have a fucking terrible time in civilized society.

Not as in physical appearance, but rather as in "how you come across as". Again, shades of gray...

[Coffer]

civilized society

You give too much importance to that.

[marthsk]

You give too much importance to that.

Does he?

Are you fucking kidding me?

If you don't care about how you look and you're not self-conscious at all you're going to have a fucking terrible time in civilized society.

There's quite a lot of F bombs for someone who genuinely cares about how he comes across in "civilized" society. :P

[Roose]

Winning is not everything imo. If you win without class it is almost as bad as losing with dignity.

Why settle for either when you can just be a Bama football fan.

[marthsk]

Winning is not everything imo. If you win without class it is almost as bad as losing with dignity.

And this is why there are winners and losers in this world. Winners give it their all. Losers say things like this to re-validate themselves.

[Deleted]

Not as in physical appearance, but rather as in "how you come across as". Again, shades of gray...

My post applies to both. You need to understand the way others think and react to what you do (or how you dress) or you'll put yourself at a disadvantage.

[Ssith]

success. i'm that guy you play games with who likes to say "it doesn't say i can't do it".

my friends don't like playing games with me.

[Coffer]

success. i'm that guy you play games with who likes to say "it doesn't say i can't do it".

my friends don't like playing games with me.

You have the wrong friends then.

[Hraklea]

And this is why there are winners and losers in this world. Winners give it their all. Losers say things like this to re-validate themselves.

It seems that you're implying that every winner is a cheater and every noncheater is a loser...

[marthsk]

My post applies to both. You need to understand the way others think and react to what you do (or how you dress) or you'll put yourself at a disadvantage.

Understand? Sure. Act in accordance to? Not all the time because then, you expose yourself and your weaknesses to them. That's when self-consciousness becomes a weakness.

---------- Post added 2013-04-12 at 10:48 AM ----------

It seems that you're implying that every winner is a cheater and every noncheater is a loser...

It seems you poorly differentiate cheating and not being all that much of a sportsman.

[koodledrum]

Your definition of cheating needs a severe check!

Unwritten rules are not worth the paper they're written on, if they were meant to be observed they would be called the RULES - like it or not, there is absolutely no requirement to adhere to them. You don't win championships for sportsmanship, they don't put 3 points in the bag if you kick the ball out when the opponent is down, you don't win the race if you stop to pick the guy up who's just fallen over - as brutally harsh as it sounds, all you get is a handshake, maybe a ceremonial trophy but you're still going home as the guy who didn't win.

If it comes down to it would I rather be sporting or successful, simple, I'm not in the game for the giggles, if I'm playing the game I want to win, if it's possible to win and be sporting I will do it, but I will not take my foot off the gas nor will I go easy, if you want that crap I'm sure there are leagues with mercy rules. If I'm fouled I do not expect an opponent to kick the ball out, if it occurs in a tackle in a contact sport then ultimately it's a part of the game I should be prepared to accept, if it's a particularly dangerous tackle the game will stop for a foul, if it's an obvious injury most contact sports have systems in place whereby the official will stop the game.

That does not make me a "cheat" - I have done nothing wrong, I have broken no rules I have simply played the game to the best of my ability 100%, I would feel as if I were disrespectful to the game if I treated it any other way and if my opponent was going easy on me I would see it as disrespectful to me.

[Deleted]

In games/competitions/sports fair play, playing by the rules. In life success.

The difference is that the rules of a game are set by people. If you want to play, you should respect them. The rules of life are set by the god or devil or universe or chance.. whatever you believe in. Some people just want to add additional rules to make their own chances of winning greater. Not respecting those isn't cheating, it's just relying on your strengths.

Obviously there's this little thing called morality as well but it varies from person to person. I disapprove killing, vandalism and terrorism, someone else may also add lying or stealing virtual goods while another person may also add just plain being selfish or putting yourself first as immoral and call it cheating.