Competitive spirit can be unattractive

Nobody takes up a sport to lose.

Sitting on the sidelines day after day, I hear a lot about the competitive spirit. And then I see the manifestation of that "spirit" in the young athletes, their coaches and their parents.

Talk about scary.

It is fascinating to watch sports fans extol the virtues of competition and then decry those who let it get "out-of-control."

That same gritty-never-say-die attitude that can help an athlete win a title is not always so attractive once it leaves the playing field.

Just take a look at two of the most popular basketball players — Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Last May, James was criticized when he left the court without shaking the hand of his opponents after losing to Orlando in Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

His defense? "I'm a winner." And apparently it's too much to ask a real "winner" to shake hands with his opponents.

Jordan's acceptance speech at his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame revealed how ugly cultivating that "competitive spirit" can be. He turned just about every conversation in his life into a competition. And he cared more about winning those showdowns than gaining any understanding.

Sadly, too many competitive people find sympathy using this not-so-virtuous trait as an excuse for bad behavior.

Throw a temper tantrum after a loss and make us all feel better just by saying, "I just let the competition get the best of me."

Or if you're really sorry, have your spokesperson release a statement from you expressing that sentiment. I mean, who expects a real winner to be able to apologize?

The sad truth is — competition brings out a lot of bad.

Isn't it competition that causes someone to lie about whether a ball was in or out? Isn't it competition that creates resentment in some of us when our teammates are giving less than they can?

It was certainly competition that caused a fight between fans from Altamont and Rich High Schools this weekend at UVU during the 1A volleyball tournament. One set of fans arrived early and took all the front row seats. When asked by the other school to share, they refused to give up any of those great seats. An argument ensued that will likely bring both schools before the UHSAA, but more importantly, it tarnished the reputations of two great communities.

Competition causes people to talk trash rather than get to know each other. Competition creates friction, narrow-mindedness and selfishness, and it makes it impossible to appreciate someone else's strength and talent.

And why is this? Why does something we love so much seem to bring out the worst in us?

It's because competition is actually just the sports world's version of real-world adversity. And just like tough times in life, competition reveals who we really are.