January should be a good month to start anew or pursue our resolutions. But alas, it didn't seem to go that way in the world of sport, which was rife with reports of poor sportsmanship and nasty players who resorted to antics or negative tactics that went against the spirit of fair play.
Recent examples are football striker Luiz Suarez's controversial handball that helped Liverpool steal a draw against Mansfield Town in their FA Cup clash, shamed cyclist Lance Armstrong confessing he doped his way to seven Tour de France titles in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, world No.1 women's tennis player Victoria Azarenka's controversial use of a medical timeout in the semi-final of the Australian Open, and Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard kicking Swansea's ball boy during their Capital One Cup semi-final second-leg fixture. Modern sports figures, it seems, are more focused on winning than exhibiting a sense of sportsmanship. And that turns off viewers, me included.
I watched a live broadcast of the controversial match in which Belarus's Azarenka played Sloane Stephens, the 19-year-old American who had upset Serena Williams in her previous match. The Belarusian won the first set, and she was cruising in the second until Stephens made a stunning comeback in the ninth game and was serving to stay in the match. However, trouble brewed when Azarenka took a medical timeout and left the court for 10 minutes. She returned to play much better tennis, quickly breaking her opponent before going on to take the match. Azarenka didn't give a reason for her timeout, but just pointed at her chest. After the match was won, she was asked to explain: it was nothing, she said, taken to overcome her own panic.
I'm not here to say whether her action is against the rules or not as I'm not a tennis guru. I would just like to bring attention to her poor sportsmanship. Her use of the timeout was less a medical necessity than a tactical ploy to spoil the concentration of her opponent, who seemed very focused at that stage and was trying to stay in the match. This is not the mark of a true champion.
It's obvious Azarenka was overwhelmed by emotion and wasn't able to handle her feelings when the game was not going her way. Simply put, she made an unsporting call in order to avoid losing.
After the match, Stephens was gracious, saying the break didn't put her off, though it can't be denied she seemed flat and deflated in the final game. She took her loss without complaint. Her grace and positive attitude towards her opponent was impressive indeed.
I do admire players who show their appreciation for the opportunity to compete, who have fun playing and entertaining viewers and, more importantly, who are able to overcome disappointment when they lose. They are class acts and they deserve our respect.
I prefer watching a match that is played in a sporting, professional and entertaining spirit in which rival teams try their best to outdo each other. Sportsmanship is one reason I play and watch sports. It allows for beautiful games. It also allows viewers to enjoy flowing games with a minimum of interruption or referee interference. They can point to players' characters, what kind of people they are. To me, games mean playing with spirit.
It's always good to watch players applaud opponents or apologise, as in tennis, when they raise their hand if they win a point by fluke. It's exciting watching the players as they challenge themselves and strive to take their game to the next level rather than take unfair advantage of their opponents.
In tennis matches today we often see players who are out of form hitting the ball in anger, making faces or questioning the umpires. Even the handshake at the end of a match seems insincere, performed as a formality with minimal or no eye contact.
Winning and losing is part and parcel of sport. As a player, I've learned it's easier to be a good winner than a good loser. There are days when players have to admit their opponents were better and deserved to win, no matter how hard they trained for the match. Losing graciously is not always bad. But it's something that drives us to try and practise harder and also prepare better. And the roles may be reversed next time if we do well.
I would find it hard to be proud of winning if I had to resort to desperate means, such as taking a medical timeout as my opponent was preparing to serve to stay in the match, or diving in the penalty area to earn a spot kick on the football field.
I speak as an amateur. At the professional level, however, it might be another thing as victory is always sweet and associated with fame and money. No wonder many players are so desperate to win.
Well, maybe it's better if I switch to a Korean TV series, in which a character dies of cancer, and learn how to deal with overwhelming emotions.
Sukhumaporn is a feature writer for Life.