Zen and the Art of "Good Game"

My oldest son just started his second season of flag football yesterday. He's 6 years old, but has the legs of Barry Sanders, the heart of Brett Favre, and all the flash of Ocho Cinco- Chad Johnson. I watched him play in practice yesterday and he is still faster and better at football then all the other kids, and he was letting them know with these little Sammy Sosa finger kisses aimed at the sky after each successful run where he left another kid eating the grass from his cleats as he ran away.

We had a refresher course on sportsmanship on the way home, and how even teammates don't like show-offs.

That made me think about my youth and when I played organized sports. I loved to talk smack. Especially in basketball. Never anything offensive or mean. In fact, I could usually get the guy who I was matched up against once or twice on the other team to laugh by making fun of something like, the way their head coach was dressed. But no matter what happened during the game, you could rest assured one thing happened at the end. Two words were exchanged between the teams: "good" and "game". Even the pros do that at the end of a playoff series, and these guys are paid millions of dollars to be the best at what they do, and yet they still share that "good game momment". Why? Sportsmanship and decency.
It's this mentality that I would love to see more over Live. I have handed out and received many severe beatings over Live, but after each one I have always said "good game". Why? It doesn't matter if they stink at the game played, the point is that it is a human on the receiving end of your words. Not mindless A.I. We're all cyberathletes here just trying to play a game and have some fun.

We have perfected the art of online trash talk, but neglected the sport of human decency and respect.

Let me be clear... racism, sexism, and sexual threats against someone's family members is not trash talk. It is dehumanizing and ignorant speach. We are discussing trash talk here.

I can tell you that hearing someone say "good game" or even offering a little tip is better than reminding someone one last time that they suck. Just as organized sports and leagues are a community of people with a common interest, so are we who play XBOX Live.

Kids say it because we teach them sportsmanship is more important than bruised egos. Superstar athletes say it because they respect their peers no matter how much better/worse they may be. So kids do it, as do adults and paid professionals. What is our excuse not to?