Kudos to the Patriot League for sponsorship and organization of a productive two-day sportsmanship summit (see the December 4 issue of The NCAA News). This summit was distinctive because of the campus-wide representation and partnership aimed at sustaining active sportsmanship. Participants included campus vice presidents, athletics directors, deans of students, student-athletes, event managers and faculty members. The value of a campus-wide cooperative focus was immediately evident.

Each league member left the summit with sportsmanship initiatives self-determined to be worthwhile and attainable. Care was taken to identify the support system necessary to attain success. The Patriot League pledged support to facilitate the initiatives, provide encouragement and share member successes. The sportsmanship partnership extended from a campus-wide initiative to a conference-wide initiative responsive to an individual member’s specific needs.

Will this initiative prevent all sportsmanship problems? Will this provide the ultimate and final solution? Does this create a conference program able to meet every sportsmanship need? The answer to each of these questions, of course, is no. However, the summit will prevent unsporting actions — the number of which will never be known. The immediate areas of sportsmanship concern are being specifically addressed and the ongoing process of sportsmanship education receives a boost. Education through sport — the basis of our existence — is enhanced.

Fortunately, efforts like this Patriot League summit are more the typical conference and member activity than the exception. Conferences in all divisions have sportsmanship initiatives — from television to jumbotron spots, to signatures on pledges, to fan programs, to tracking of unsporting fouls. As we share perceptions of sportsmanship expectations, the value to all of respect for one another and the commitment of NCAA members to sportsmanship benefit every constituent group of the NCAA.

Each NCAA member working to infuse respect and sportsmanship is to be applauded and encouraged to never give up that important endeavor.