Good sportsmanship and social values brought to you by Kellogg’s. Let’s face it. Not everybody’s kid is gonna be the next Michael Jordan or Mia Hamm. For some of them it will come naturally. But for most of them and us, as parents, it requires hard work, dedication, sacrifice and the occasional tear. While I know that it’s not easy for kids to hear that failing to be good at something on the first time doesn’t mean they won’t ever be good at it, I also know it’s an important step in learning the values of hard work and earning something for yourself. This is the reason I think kids should get involved in team sports as early as possible. Little league coaches across the country are not only showing our kids a good time out on the fields or courts, they are  helping the next generation learn the importance of good sportsmanship and social values.
There Is No I In Team
Even the best of athletes have their down days and can’t win without the support of their teammates. No one can be the best all the time. How you treat a person that has just failed at something or lost a game despite giving their best effort will tell the world what kind of character you have. It’s ok to get excited and be  competitive, but as you know there will always will be one team in victory and one team in defeat. Tomorrow could be your day in defeat. While defeat always hurts, it hurts a little less when delivered with good sportsmanship. When you walk up to someone and that you just beat and throw your arm around their shoulder and tell them what a great game that was, or what a great play they made or it could have gone either way goes a long way in keeping a person interested in trying harder and getting better. Not to mention it makes you both feel better and could possibly develop a lifelong friendship. Picking someone up when they are down either physically or metaphorically,  make us all stronger as a community and a team.
Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes has launched the Show Your Stripes Campaign to help us as parents and coaches to teach the importance of good sportsmanship and hard work through practice, teamwork and pre-game rituals. The good sportsmanship values that are learned at early age carry over as good social values later in life. Learning not to give up and keep trying or helping  some one else when they need it while learning a sport or new skill make us all stronger. This is where determination the and importance of practice and pre-game rituals are learned. Trust me, when they have that first success from all the hard work and practice they have put in, the reward for everyone will be unimaginable. Want to learn more about how to Show Your Stripes? Check out their Facebook page or follow Tony the Tiger on Twitter. For inspirational stories and more about the core values of good sportsmanship and hard work, check out #ShowYourStripes.
As the Official Breakfast Sponsor of Little League, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes knows it’s not all about winning, but about how you Show Your Stripes – your passion, pregame rituals, team spirit, and good sportsmanship.
How Do you Show your Stripes?
