Now that the furor over the recent outbreak of unsporting behavior at both the professional and college levels has subsided, those of us who represent Division III athletics have an opportunity to reflect upon our own role in shaping a healthier attitude toward competition.

Don't misunderstand me. There isn't a Division III college president alive who wouldn't prefer to see his or her school's athletics teams win -- preferably by a wide margin. However, fighting among athletes and fans is just one symptom of a disturbing deterioration in the spirit of sportsmanship.

However, I'm proud to say that Division III offers a welcome respite from the win-at-any-cost attitude that seems to pervade professional sports as well as athletics programs at larger NCAA institutions. In Division III, success is not defined by national titles, winning seasons, or game-winning heroics. The true measure is in the value of athletics to the educational experience and, after graduation, in life.

Sportsmanlike play helps student-athletes develop leadership qualities such as teamwork, loyalty, humility, perseverance, goal-setting, dealing with defeat and working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

I'm also proud to say that Division III presidents, athletics administrators and coaches are tackling the issue of sportsmanship head-on. In particular, the Empire 8, of which Utica College is a member, recently has implemented an innovative conduct-foul initiative designed to reduce or even eliminate unsportsmanlike behavior from intercollegiate sports. As evidenced by significant reductions in technical fouls and ejections -- in 2004, ejections were completely eliminated from men's basketball, and technical fouls were reduced by 75 percent in women's basketball -- the initiative is working.

This initiative has been reported in The NCAA News, USA Today and other media across the country, and is drawing attention from a growing circle of college administrators, coaches and officials throughout the NCAA. In fact, the NCAA is assessing the initiative as a model to replicate on a national level.

The Empire 8 also has initiated efforts to promote better sportsmanship among spectators.

The Pistons-Pacers debacle represented the worst of fan behavior, and while the Empire 8 has not been exempt from rude, boorish and harassing behavior by spectators, we must do a better job of setting a positive example. The Empire 8 will be doing just that, with a new sportsmanship slogan ("Competing with Honor and Integrity") and logo, a Sportsperson of the Week program, and an annual Empire 8 Sportsmanship Member of Distinction award.

College sports has become a billion-dollar industry, driven in some circles by the pursuit of winning at the expense of the true purpose of athletics participation. These demands have not compromised the philosophies of Division III, where athletics programs' goals parallel that of the larger institutional mission. At Utica College and throughout the Empire 8, the focus is not exclusively on winning (although winning certainly can be more enjoyable than losing), but on the skills, lessons and values that are instilled throughout the athletics experience.

Todd Hutton is the president of Utica College and president of the Empire 8.