Baker Street

Sportsmanship

In almost every game I go to, whether it be high school or college, the public address announcer will read a statement which stresses that the athletes are “friendly rivals.”

I bet we’ve all been to a few games in which the rivalries turn something less than friendly.

But Friday night, I saw something that was done only in the name of sportsmanship.

Before the start of Mohawk’s varsity girls’ game against Old Fort, the host Warriors took time to recognize their eight seniors.

That much is to be expected.

But right before the teams were announced, Mohawk did something else: it announced each of the Stockaders’ seniors individually, and Mohawk players presented each one with a flower.

“They had told us beforehand,” said Old Fort coach Mark Miller. “It’s nice getting the recognition for the seniors, and the sportsmanship among the schools there.”

It’s not the first time a team has done this, but it’s not common.

Mohawk coach Josh Fortney said he wants his program to have class on and off the court.

“I always tell (my players) to act first-class wherever we go,” Fortney said. “We want to represent ourselves and the school well.”

In some ways, Mohawk’s gesture before the game was a small thing. But it was still nice to see. I’ve been at games where fans have screamed things that would make comedian Denis Leary uncomfortable. There have been games where players and coaches have allowed emotions to get the best of them, and they done and said things they would later regret.

That’s all part of the game sometimes. But what I saw Friday night was a reminder of how good high school sports can be. For a moment, high school sports was everything it’s advocates claim it is — a character-building experience on and off the field.

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