10.      Golf –  Young American’s  Honesty Of The Highest Order  

November:  A young American golfer traded his lifetime dream for honour & integrity. Blayne Barber, finally qualified to play on the PGA tour. His dream had come true. However, he thought he accidentally moved a leaf while playing out of a bunker. No one saw it. He asked his caddie and others, they said no he was fine. But he wasn’t happy. So he penalised himself 1 shot. He still qualified, (and still won by 4 shots) but as he drove home he realised it should have been a 2 shot penalty so he phoned in and disqualified himself.  Honourable Young Golfer Throws Away His PGA Dream

Golfing Dream Is Lost

9.      Tennis – Spanish    Friendship Despite Defeat

January: Despite losing an epic Australian Open Final lasting 5 hours and 53 minutes, Spain’s Rafal Nadal wore a beautiful smile. At 2am in Melbourne he addressed the packed arena by saying with great humour: “Good morning! First I would like to congratulate him (Djokovic). I thank the ball boys, the umpires, the sponsors and so on ……“I will never forget this game even though I lost it.”

8.      Boat Race  -  Oxford Lose With Honour

April: When a swimming protester interrupted the oldest boat race in the world, the race had to be restarted. Soon after there was a clash of blades (oars) which snapped an Oxford oar. Severely hampered, they limped on refusing to give up. Cambridge won easily. If Oxford decided to stop racing Cambridge would still be winners but the race would be recorded as ‘race not completed’.  Oxford insisted in finishing the race.

7.      Football – Spanish Captain’s Humility & Respect

July:   During the final minutes of the Euro 2012 Final, you can hear, on video, the Spanish captain, Casillas, asking the referee to end the game early – out of respect for Italy as Spain look like scoring a 5th goal against 10 man Italy. He didn’t want to start celebrating Spain’s winning of the Euro 2012, he simply respected Italy too much to insult them with another goal and a record defeat. Spanish Flair & Great Sportsmanship Prevail

Football Humility

6.   Speed Skating – Canadians & Americans Celebrate Greatness

October:  Despite America being the arch enemy on ice, for all Canadians, when American JR Celski broke the speed skating world record by becoming  the first man ever to skate 500m in under 40 seconds, the  whole Canadian stadium erupted in celebration  - the American fans, the Canadian fans, the coaches, the competitors even the stewarts cheered and whooped – they all recognised greatness and applauded it regardless. Opposition Fans Cheer New World Record 

5.    Cricket -   South African Respect

December: When Australia’s captain, Ricky Ponting, walked out for the last time in his test cricket career, the whole  South African team formed a guard of honour and applauded him. Ponting scored 13,378 from 168 test matches (only one other man on the planet who has scored more test runs – India’s Sachin Tendulkar). A magical moment of Respect.

South African Respect

4.    Snooker –   Fair Play from A Welsh Dragon

May: Amidst the intensity of a World Snooker Championship semi-final, Mathew Stevens (previously beaten in 2 finals and 3 semi-finals & his first semi-final since 2005) showed great sportsmanship when he declared a foul on himself when he barely double hit the ball by accident. No one saw it including referee Brendan Moore and opposition, Ronnie O’Sullivan. However, Stevens insisted on declaring it.  O’Sullivan tapped the table with his cue in applause for Stevens sportsmanship.

 
3.     Baseball   - American Respect & Friendliness

May: 28 year old baseball pitcher for Detroit Tigers, Armando Gallaraga, pitched ‘the perfect game’ – a feat accomplished by only 20 other pitchers ever – BUT unfortunately the umpire made a terrible mistake and disallowed it. The perfect game is when the pitcher pitches a victory  and  faces 27 batters in 9 innings and none of them get to 1^st base.  Gallaraga said afterwards  ‘Nobody’s perfect. Everybody makes mistakes’ and shook hands with the umpire.

2.     Athletics – Jamaican & British Athletes’ Enjoyment

August: So many Olympic moments from Nicola Adams’s radiant smile to the whole stadia packed with smiling spectators cheering on great performances regardless of which country.  We were posting up to 3 stories a day on the Great Sportsmanship facebook page during the Olympics. The Iconic moment when Mo Farah & Usain Bolt imitated each other. Both with big smiles enjoying themselves, doing what they love and remembering to have some fun.

Olympics Enjoyment – A Celebration Of Fun, Sport & Culture

1.      Golf  –   American Friendliness & Respect

Sep: The Ryder Cup is unique in sport. The world’s best pro’s compete for no money – just pride. They  actually shake with nerves when they play in the Ryder cup. There’s an awful lot of emotion and history attached to this competition. The European team invoked the spirit of the late great, Seve Ballestos. Captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, talked about Seve’s passion in his team talks. The team wore navy blue jumpers and white shirts with a silhouette of Seve on the sleeve. When they won Jose said “All men die but not all live…you made me feel alive again this week’.  There were many moments of sportsmanship during the 3 day epic battle (see original post).   But this next moment caught the eye…….

When Justin Rose sunk a huge putt on the 17^th, the camera just catches a subtle moment, America’s Phil Mickleson smiling and giving Just Rose a very clear thumbs up.

The Ryder Cup

Tell us your favourite sportsmanship story from 2012. Add it here, as a comment (see below) or visit our facebook page, Great Sportsmanship . And here’s wishing you many more wonderful sportsmanship experiences in 2013. Say ‘Yes’ to Great Sportsmanship.  finally, please do consider making a new year pledge – become a sportsmanship ambassador and promote this programme /sportsmanship wherever and whenever you can.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, working as a French TV pundit, asked  the commentators to stop talking so that viewers could hear the Irish singing.  You can listen and watch and listen to the fans and see why it was such a special moment.

Irish manager, Trapattoni, applauded  the world champion’s silky football skills by saying they played “like an orchestra” . He went on to say that “They (the fans) cheered us through the most difficult part of the game and I am really thankful for that.”  Irish players talked about their disappointment of losing heavily but also their amazement and appreciation of the fans who supported them to the bitter end.

Irish fans have ‘previous form’ whether singing, baying as sheep or showing silent respect  as recorded brilliantly by Kiwi writer, Martin Moodie, who in 2008 was taken aback by the respectful silence which Munster rugby fans gave to the All Blacks goal kicker – ‘you could hear a dog bark in a distant street’ he said.

Or in Milan, during World Cup 1990, when  thousands of Irish football fans, waiting in the mid-morning heat hoping to buy unexpected quarter final tickets (against Italy) – were penned inside large steel fencing and surrounded by police with dogs, batons, guns and tear gas. One fan made a sheep noise. “Baaaghhh”. A police dog reacted and barked viciously. Another fan went  “baaaghhh”, followed by a few dozen more, then a hundred . The dogs went crazy. Police nervously tried to control the dogs. Several thousand penned fans were “baaaghhing” and the dogs were going ballistic. Finally the police captain saw the funny side and ordered his men to take the dogs away, realising the harmless good humour of thousands of Irish fans pretending to be sheep penned in.

Or Irish fans dancing with a French band, or even trying their best to sing the French national anthem with the French (without knowing all the words).  And back to the class of 2012 football fans.

The ‘Angela Merkel Thinks We’re Working’ flag says it all. Despite very tough economic times, austerity measures, the brotherhood of football knows no bounds nor does its humour!

Brazilian fans like to dance as do African fans, not to mention West Indian fans who create a cricket carnival atmosphere, and Dubai’s Al Nasr fans, as I discovered, like to sing (one song went on for 18 minutes!), While Scottish fans (notably ‘Ally’s Army”) were welcomed everywhere -  in fact some went to Argentina in 1978 and never came back , the locals loved them so much – several Scottish fans stayed, settled down and never looked back!

It seems all of these fans have fun, celebrate sport and perpetuate the brotherhood of sport. Long may it continue.  We salute great sportsmanship from great fans.

Lineout Jumping (Continued)

“Wade Dooley the big Blackpool policeman standing like a lighthouse at the back of the lineout”
On Doddie Weir (and told by Doddie) “Doddie Weir as much help as a lighthouse in the desert ”

On another lineout jumper “Jumping like a border salmon in a river”

 Weather 

“The balls as slippery as a wet trout”

“I tell ye, that ball’s like a bar of soap down there.” After a ball was knocked on

Bill Commentating

Absolute Classic McLaren

“He can smell a try like a forest animal”

“The All Blacks that day looked like great prophets of doom.”

“And it’s a try by Hika the hooker from Ngongotaha.” (Wales v New Zealand 1980).
I think he also described trying to tackle Jonah Lomu as trying to tackle a snooker table

“I’ve seen bigger legs hanging out of a crow’s nest”

Bill McLaren was a rugby player, PE teacher, commentator, golfer and a sportsman

Looking Back
When asked what was the best thing in his view about 50 years of commentary at rugby matches.

“I’ve hardly ever had to pay to get in.”

“A day out of Hawick is a day wasted.”

Bill McLaren was also a PE Teacher

Bill McLaren was also a PE teacher. One of his students, George Thorburn, told me he often said “Last out of the changing room gets three strokes of the cricket bad”

“But I got it last week Sir?” says George.

“Well make sure yer no last next week!”

Sportsmanship

Finally – in terms of sportsmanship, Bill was magnificent. When hearing a crowd booing a kicker and the kicker kicked successfully, he’d often say “A just response to that ill-mannered whistling”.

Bill McLaren Quotes Part 1 includes quotes about Celebrations; Fisticuffs; Tough Guys; Big Guys and also a beautiful piece written by Bill’s daughter, Linda, specifically for us.

Bill McLaren Quotes Part 2 has quotes about Big Guys and Runners  (15 x Quotes)

Bill McLaren Quotes Part 3 has quotes about Runners (& jinkers); Passing; Kicking and Lineout Jumping (15 x Quotes)

Part 4  Line-Out jumping (continued), Weather Conditions, Classic Mclaren, Looking Back and Sportsmanship (15 x Quotes)

Bill McLaren’s spirit lives on –  here in this blog and in The Bill McLaren Foundation. 

Please add a comment on this blog on  (a) any quotes you recall and (b) what Bill’s commentaries meant to you.  Please also pass on and share this link  to rugby fans and sports fans worldwide – to young and old. Thank you.  Paul Smith

Bill McLaren was simply known as the ‘voice of rugby’. He believed in sportsmanship values and somehow painted pictures with words that were admired and loved by so many. So here’s part 3 of 4 of our collection of his great quotes. Part 1 includes quotes about Celebrations; Fisticuffs; Tough Guys; Big Boys and also a beautiful piece written by Bill’s daughter, Linda, specifically for us.  Part 2  continued with Big Boys and  Running;  Part 3 continues with Running (jinkers); Passing; Kicking and Lineout Jumping.

Running (continued)

On Phil Bennett: “They say down at Stradey that if ever you catch him you get to make a wish.”

On Gerald Davies: “His sidestep was marvellous – like a shaft of lightning.”

On England’s twinkle toes Jason Robinson  “Billy Whizz” 

Passing

On Jonathan Davies & Robert Jones (describing the positioning between Robert Jones & Jonathan Davies v Scotland 1988): “You’ll notice Davies is standing very deep & that’s because Jones can pass off either hand, just watch this ’Whooosh!!’ “

Kicking

“It’s high enough, it’s long enough, it’s straight enough.”

“He kicked that ball like it were three pounds o’ haggis.”

“My goodness, that wee ball’s gone so high there’ll be snow on it when it comes down.”

“Oh, he’s given that an almighty thump”

On Gavin Hastings as he prepared to kick at goal “He hoists his breeks, does a little shammy shammy…”

On the goal kicking style of the Scottish captain Peter Brown:  “it’s similar to a coo kicking over a milk pail.”

On missing a kick: “That one was a bit inebriated – just like one of my golf shots.”

After Scotland’s Renwick missed a kick and clearly mouthed “Effing Hell’ Bill chirped: “I think he’s muttering a few naughty Hawick words”. [Note "words" was pronounced "wurr-eds".]

“A twitter of a puck” (on Peter Dodds conversion attempt)

On the difficulty of kicking in poor conditions “gaining purrrrchase on the slippery turrrrf’ Graham

Lineout Jumping

On Mark Andrews and Doddy Weir contesting a lineout ” They both go up like 2 pieces of white bread in a pop up toaster ”

Bill Mclaren Quotes Part 1 includes quotes about Celebrations; Fisticuffs; Tough Guys; Big Guys and also a beautiful piece written by Bill’s daughter, Linda, specifically for us.

Bill Mclaren Quotes Part 2 about Big Guys and Runners  (15 x Quotes)

Bill Mclaren Quotes Part 4  Line-Out jumping (continued), Weather Conditions, Classic Mclaren, Looking Back (15 x Quotes)

Bill McLaren’s spirit lives on –  here in this blog and in The Bill McLaren Foundation.

Please add (a) any quotes you recall and (b) what Bill’s commentaries meant to you. Thank you.

The late great, Bill McLaren was simply the world’s best rugby commentator ever. He was known as ‘The Voice Of Rugby’. You’ll see why. Bill believed passionately in sportsmanship. So in celebration of the 6 Nations Rugby Championship which starts this weekend we’ll publish 6o of the best quotes from the master himself, plus a piece by, Bill’s daughter, Linda, who wrote something special for us (see end).

Bill believed in sportsmanship – shaking hands, thanking the ref, respect, fun and, of course, competition. He loved the characters in the game. His unique descriptions and authoritive voice added so much excitement, intrigue and enthral. So here’s part 1 of 4: the first 15 from 60.

Celebrations

“They will be dancing in the street’s tonight.” When a good try was scored

Fisticuffs

“A little bit of argy-bargy there.”

“Those props are as cunning as a bag o’ weasels.”

“He’s like a raging bull with a bad head.”

Tough Guys

“You wouldn`t want to meet him in a dark alleyway!”

“Wade Dooley the big Blackpool policeman standing like a lighthouse at the back of the lineout”

“I look at Colin Meads and see a great big sheep farmer who carried the ball in his hands as though it was an orange pip.”

As Scott and Craig waited to join the fray on the touchline: “There’s the Quinnell brothers, two well nourished individuals”

Referring to one of the French front row as “having a face like a carpenters bag o’chisels”

Big Boys

“Big Vleis Visagie – born when meat was cheap!”

On Andre Venter “He’s no oil painting, but look at him working the blind side like a pop-up toaster!”

On Os du Randt “There he goes – South Africa’s rhino!”

On Finlay Calder – “hands like dinner plates!”

“John Jeffrey – the big Kelso farmer – gathers the ball…”

On Scott Gibbs “When he hits you, you think the roof has just fallen in.”

Bill’s Daughter, Linda Wrote These Words For Us

In the 2 years since Dad died we have become aware of how highly he was respected and loved, not only in rugby circles but also in the wider world community. Two of the main reasons for that were the warm human touch he had with people from all backgrounds as well as the values he held dear throughout his life and career.

He was well known for his honesty, fairness, integrity, self-discipline, loyalty, humour and kindness and these, among many other fine characteristics, are the qualities we aim to promote, especially in youngsters, through the Foundation which has been created in his name. We plan to achieve this by encouraging children to become involved in the game of rugby and in doing so to develop the many vital skills which are so important in everyday life.

I hope Dad would be proud to know that he is still remembered so fondly and that his legacy will continue to make a difference in the future.

The Bill McLaren Foundation

60 Of The Best – Great Quotes from the late great Bill McLaren

Running x 11; Passing x 1; Kicking x 10; Jumping x 4; Celebrations x 1; Fisticuffs x 3 Tough Guys x 5; Big Boys x14; Weather x 2; Absolute Classic McLaren x 5; Looking Back x 2; Encouraging students x 1; Sportsmanship x 1

Bill Mclaren Quotes Part 2 about Big Guys and Runners  (15 x Quotes)

Bill Mclaren Quotes Part 3 about Runners (& jinkers); Passing; Kicking and Lineout Jumping (15 x Quotes)

Bill Mclaren Quotes Part 4  Line-Out jumping (continued), Weather Conditions, Classic Mclaren, Looking Back (15 x Quotes)

Bill’s Last Interview

It’s 2012 and here comes the London Oympics, but what about Olympism – the reason  the Olympics exist? Olympism was founded by the ancient Greeks. They actively encouraged citizens to develop all of their physical, moral, intellectual, cultural and artistic qualities.

The Olympic Games celebrated this with the Olympic Games festival involving athletes, artists and scholars from different cultural fields. Sport, art, educational and cultural activities were blended.

Modern Olympism
The modern Olympic Movement was started in 1894 by Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin.  He resurrected the ancient Greek ideals and gave them to the rest of the world when he staged the first ‘modern’ Olympic Games  in 1896 in Greece’s  newly reconstructed Panathenean Stadium (originally created in 330BC).

		London 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Olympism blends sport with culture and education, and most importantly, Olympism promotes a peaceful way of life which uses ‘sport to promote the balanced development of people as an essential step in building a peaceful society that places a high value on human dignity’.  In fact the Olympic Movement believes ‘sport is an invaluable means of

• educating people,
• cultivating aesthetic and
• moral values,
• fostering friendships
• among young people, and
• bringing people from different nations closer together.’

See our new video  ‘Anyone for Olympism – the real Olympic dream?’ (just published before the Olympics start).  See also ‘What is the role of Sport in The Olympics?

So hopefully, we’ll see some true Olympism (sportsmanship) in London Olympics 2012 just like we did in 1908 (Queen Alexander), 1932 (Judy Guinness, fencing), 1936 (Karl Lutz Long, long jump), 1952 (Zatopek, 5k & 10k runner), 1956 (Takhti, wrestler), 1960 (Rudolph, sprinter), 1968 (Akhwari, marathon), 1976 (Fujimoto, gymnast), 1988 (Lemieux, sailing) 1992 (Derek Redmond, 400m), 1994 (Jensen & Koss, speed skaters), 2004 (Cordeiro de Lima, marathon), 2006 (Hakensmoen, Ski-ing), 2008 (Junquan, swimmer). Full stories in the Great Moments Of Sportsmanship eBook (& printed book). Free Sportsmanship Workbook & Tutor’s Guide available for schools also.

See also:

Olympism – The Real Olympic Dream (video)

How London 2012 Became The Friendly Olympics (backstage photographs form the Olympic volunteers)

In Chris’s words: “My message to kids today is to have fun. Because unfortunately in my experience parents don’t see the end – that it’s a marathon.   For 90% of kids in this country it’s gonna end at 18. If you’re lucky you get a scholarship and go to college. If you hit the lottery and make it to the pro’s and not many do. You know when basketball stopped being fun for me and more being like a job I looked for other avenues to go down to relieve stress and escape from it.”

Find out what words hurt him so much but eventually became the best words of his life. Thanks to Jeff Fuller for sharing this powerful story.

He’s written a book called Basketball Junkie: A Memoire

A respectful London Irish audience waits in silence and, a moment later, applaud his success. They later gave Wilkinson a standing ovation when he left the field just before full time.

But he is human. As demonstrated by the video clip below when he surprisingly spills the ball on the line to forfeit a seemingly certain try.

He is a very ‘human’ decent character. Many years ago Johnny Wilkinson visited Galway when playing for Newcastle and was inevitably surrounded by a mass of kids seeking his autograph after the game. After ten minutes of signing, there were still a mass of kids desperate for his autograph. However, Wilkinson was asked to get on the team bus. He refused and insisted on staying behind to sign the all the autographs required. The bus left without him. He was later driven to the airport by local fans, just in time for his flight. A true gentleman and a wonderful player.

Finally something surreal happened during the game – a large leprechaun cast a musical spell. Everybody’s got a story!

One wonders what historic moments in rugby and football (soccer) will emerge over the next 50 years (although difficult to imagine, if you’re over 50!). What magical moments of wizardry and wonderful moments of sportsmanship will emerge?

Leinster v Ulster was the first (16 Dec 1876) and last (31 Dec 2006) game of rugby played at the old Lansdowne Road stadium. The first international match was played way back in Victorian times in 1878 (when Ireland was under British rule). When the Republic of Ireland was eventually established, both the Republic and the North Of Ireland still united, every year, to wear the green shirt and take on the world’s best rugby teams. Football does not do this, except once, in 1973 a United Ireland team* took on the World champions, Brazil. The venue? Lansdowne Road. For 128 years Lansdowne Road was an international venue, much loved by anyone who visited. It then closed its doors for a moment (three and a half years in the greater scheme of things) and moved its rugby and football events to the hidden jewel in Ireland’s crown, the 82,500 Croke Park, HQ of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association)*.

What historic events and wonderful sportsmanship moments will emerge in this, the newest stadium in the oldest venue? Perhaps it is the oldest international sports venue in the world – can someone enlighten me?

* See the full stories of the 1973 moment when Ireland united in football in Lansdowne Road and also the 2007 moment when ‘God saved Croke Park’ in the Great Moments Of Sportsmanship collection of published short stories.

He had come runner up four times, and after years of dedication his moment seemed to arrive. The dream was crystal clear as he stepped up to play the18th hole again in a ‘Sudden Death’ play-off against the 49 times PGA tournament winner and Ryder Cup golfer, Furyk.

With the light fading over the beautiful harbour and the greens, both players safely reached the fairway from their tee shots. Davis’s second shot ran across the green, over the edge, bounced off some rocks below and finally settled on nicely packed sand with some reeds behind it. However, he successfully chipped up onto the green with his third shot. Now here’s the magic.

No one saw this happen except Davis. As he played his third shot he thought he might have barely touched ‘a loose impediment’ (a loose reed/bit of straw) which is a penalty. “It was one of those things I thought I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. And I thought we’d check on TV, and indeed there was movement,” Davis said.

He immediately called for the tournament referee, Slugger White, and told him what had happened. It was so subtle that the crowd didn’t see it and the TV cameras didn’t see it.

He felt honour-bound to tell the referee, who checked with the TV slow motion replays and duly imposed a two shot penalty for ‘making contact with a loose impediment in a greenside hazard’ (rule 13.4: moving a loose impediment during a takeaway). Davis’s dream was over.

However, his actions on the 18th hole at Harbour Town Golf Links course, will be remembered by many for a long time to come. You can see this magical sportsmanship moment. Slugger White later said: “He’s class, first class”. Brian Davis has since received floods of congratulation cards, letters, emails from people all over America and in particular from parents who said they told their children this is how you play sport and this is how you live life.

Davis proves that nice guys are winners. In his own words, here’s how good it actually felt after the high tension game was over. “It’s probably the first time in my career, or in any golfer’s, where [you] lost in a play-off and actually drove home more positive than when you left,” he said. “It has been a good experience for me, and it has been great for the game of golf that we do call rules infractions on ourselves. It’s just part of the game.”

Note: Thanks to Ollie Campbell for alerting me about this story.

Dr. Sharon Kay Stoll on why golfers call their own penalties