Poor Sports

The touch of the raindrops on Harley and Harper’s faces was a welcome cool relief as they ran up and down the field during the final few minutes of their soccer game. The away team was up by two goals and the morale of the team was fading. 

Harley felt anger and Harper felt exhausted. Their team had won the last three games in a row and were on target for a fourth, but the opposing team had some new faces that kept kicking goal after goal.

Despite their best efforts, the twin’s team lost.

As Harley watched the other team jump up and down in excitement, he noticed that the rain had stopped and the sun returned. He kicked at a weed with his cleat and wished that it started to storm, if only to ruin their mood. 

Harper joined the rest of the team in a huddle with their coach, poorly masking her disappointment. 

“Well, team, that was a tough game. But I am proud of your effort. Way to play with everything you got, especially in the rain,” Coach encouraged the players. 

Harley couldn’t help a scowl and a low huff escape his mouth. 

“Something the matter, Harley? You are usually all smiles,” Coach asked, causing the team to turn their gaze. 

He crossed his arms and slowly shook his head, “No, Coach.”

Coach found Harper in the group and saw her similar expression, “What about you, Harper? Something on your mind?”

“It’s not fair, Coach, we should have won,” Harper spoke honestly. 

Harley listened to his sister and chimed in, “Yeah, we should have won. Those players were new. It isn’t fair.”

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. 

Coach listened to their complaints and leaned forward, “Can I ask all of you a question?”

A chorus of nods and shrugs answered him. 

“Did you play your best today?”

“Yes,” was said in unison.

“You gave it all you had, even in the rain?”

“Yes!” 

Coach pointed to the other team, “What about them? Do you think that they played their best today?”

Silence.

“They gave it all they had too.”

“But the new players they had, they…“

“They played a solid game and won. Is that wrong?” Coach interrupted. 

Silence. 

“Harper, your footwork was on fire staying on top of the new players. Harley, your stamina surpassed all the games this season.” Coach continued to point out the other player's stand-out plays, “From what I can see, both teams played an excellent game. And look at all the individual improvements you made.”

The twins and the rest of the team slowly took in his words. 

“I am disappointed in one thing about tonight’s game,” Coach held up one finger, “It’s not the loss, but it is our team’s attitude.”

Harper swallowed a lump in her throat while Harley fidgeted. 

“A player's attitude is a reflection of their character.” 

Harley held up a hand, “Coach, what does ‘character’ mean?”

“Character is the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves. If we have positive attitudes when we win but have negative ones when we lose this means that our character needs some work. It is okay to be disappointed, it is okay to feel frustrated, but we have to keep our chins up. Focus on the next game and be good sports to the other team.” Coach could see this was a lot. “They work hard too and deserve a ‘good game.’ Lastly, please remember, soccer is a game, and games are supposed to be fun!”

Harper thought about it. It was okay if she felt disappointment, but she shouldn’t let her feelings change how she acts toward her teammates and the opposing team. She should be a good sport and congratulate the other team on their victory. 

Harley thought about the previous wins and how the losing team always congratulated them, and a sudden guilt came over him. He felt bad for being a poor sport. He looked over at the other team, knowing that they were waiting for the end of the game line-up. He looked side to side at his teammates, “You’re right, Coach, I’m sorry. I will work on my character and my attitude. We did play our best tonight, and it was kind of fun in the rain.”

With a renewed attitude, the team made their way to the end-of-game line-up.

Have you lost a game? How have you handled the loss? How can you work on your character to show a positive attitude to those around you?

Brittany Richards is a full-time Marco Island resident passionate about all things literary. Creating stories as soon as she could read and write, she seeks to inspire the next generation to put down the screen and pick up a book. Whether as a nanny, camp counselor, or gymnastics coach, she has a history of working with children. She looks forward to combining her two joys with The Adventures of Harley and Harper. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to new destinations, boating with her husband, or cuddling up with her dogs.