Sportsmanship and Social Media
Photo ©Karen Evasuik · evasuikcd@aol.com
By Pilar Kuhn
Sportsmanship. We talk about it on a regular basis. Most try to display good sportsmanship regularly. The AKC has a Code of Sportsmanship. So why do we have so many people making comments about the lack of sportsmanship in and out of the ring? Unfortunately, because there are more than enough examples of poor sportsmanship in all breeds, and these actions warrant the previously-mentioned comments. Just as unfortunate is that social media has made it easier to rant and rave regardless of whether these rants are justified.
At a large cluster, it seemed that poor sportsmanship was rampant in many rings. One judge apparently felt the need to congratulate those on their wins as well as thank exhibitors of their sportsmanship when appropriate. That wasn’t received well by those who did not get thanked. When I caught up with one of our regular AKC reps at a show the following weekend, we discussed this very topic and, without naming names, reviewed some examples of poor sportsmanship and how it was handled by the exhibitors, the judge and the rep.
In one ring, the judge explained why he chose the dogs that day before he handed out the ribbons. One displeased exhibitor not only took to the social media channels to vent about her displeasure of the judge’s choice, she found the AKC rep and ranted and raved. When given the AKC options of filing a complaint if she felt it was necessary, she declined. Rather than chalking the day up to “another day, another dog show”, it was as if she took the judge’s decision as a personal insult. The judge, not knowing who she was, judged the dogs on the day they were shown to him. He could tell by the look on her face she was not pleased, and he did the sportsmanlike thing as a judge to explain his choice. He merely expected similar courtesy in return.
In another ring, the judge gave clear directions to everyone as to how he wanted the dogs exhibited. In the end, he congratulated the winners and some of them for their sportsmanship. When he did not congratulate two of the exhibitors on their behavior, they went to the AKC rep to complain. Think about it. Two exhibitors who failed to get recognition for their sportsmanship went and complained, and the rep had to follow up on their complaint per their insistence. When he escorted the two exhibitors to the judge at an appropriate time and gave them the chance to voice their complaint, they didn’t want to, at first. But then they blurted out why there were upset. The judge’s response? They had scowls on their faces and visibly pouted when he made his choice and they didn’t congratulate the winner. So how could he thank them for being sportsmanlike when they clearly weren’t? The exhibitors tried to insist that he gave only them reprimanding directions about how to not handle their dogs. The judge explained that he gave everyone that same instruction. Once again, rather than chalking the day up to “another day, another dog show”, it was as if they, too, took the judge’s decision as a personal insult. The judge, not knowing who they were, judged the dogs on the day they were shown to him.
These two scenarios bother me. But they should also bother you and hopefully you pause and reflect on some of your own behaviors at dog shows. When you win, are you gracious to the judge as well as the other exhibitors? When you lose, do you visibly pout? Do you rant and rave in social media outlets about why the judge made a poor choice or that the dog that beat you is a much lesser specimen? I don’t know anyone that enters a show hoping to lose. Try to remember that your face and body language is extremely telling. Try to find something good to reflect upon. Did your dog show well? Did you handle your dog well? Did your grooming show off your dog to his or her best regardless of the ribbon color? Did you play nice? Did you congratulate the winner or thank the losers? Knowing that we all can’t win the ribbon we want every time, please remember that good sportsmanship goes a very long way. And poor sportsmanship goes even further. The public is standing ringside watching. Our community is a very small one and the old adage continues to ring true, “actions speak louder than words.” Stay classy, my friends.
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