Sportsmanship is
playing fairly by the rules, showing respect and courtesy for opponents, and
reacting gracefully to both wins and losses. Good sportsmanship
also means playing your best whenever you're playing someone who is still in contention.
It can be tempting to do silly stuff (like batting your pitcher third) or
manage your team with disinterest (making no substitutions) when you're
mathematically eliminated from making the play-offs. However, you must
still try to win because other teams are fighting for play-off spots
and it would be unfair to them if you gave less than your best.
STPC expects all players to exhibit good sportsmanship. A few gentle reminders and examples:
It is expected that if a player notices misread cards or misinterpreted rules by an opponent, he will correct the errors even when they impact him negatively.
When a very positive result happens (such as a game-winning hit), quite naturally the winning player will be exuberant and the losing player will be upset. It is expected that the winning player will understand and respect his opponent's emotions and that any celebration not cross the line into gloating. It is also expected that the losing player, while understandably upset at the result, will accept that some celebratory reaction from the winner is natural, will respect and congratulate him and refrain from cursing or throwing things.
Luck is luck, sometimes it is good and sometimes bad. Splits to 1 are made 5% of the time and splits 1-19 are made 95% of the time. It is simply not a miracle when 5% probabilities happen or 95% probabilities don't happen. All experienced players have had their share of outrageously "lucky" wins and "unlucky" losses which often make for great stories. However, it is expected that players not continually complain during games about their opponent's good luck and their own bad luck. It is also extremely inappropriate to curse one's opponent due to their recent lucky streak.
STPC expects good sportsmanship from each and every player. STPC will present an annual award (the Kenny Marino sportsmanship award) to the player who exhibits the best sportsmanship, and STPC also reserves the right to penalize players for poor sportsmanship. In extreme cases, such penalties can include tournament bans. Please help STPC maintain enjoyable tournament environments where all players are respected and made to feel welcome
STPC Council