I've been thinking some lately about the practice of shaking an opponent's hand after a game, and wondering whether--as Randolph Feezell and Craig Clifford put it in Sport and Character--"...at the end of the game, should we always, without exception, attempt to shake the hands of our opponents (p. 36)?"
My intuition is to say that there can be morally justified exceptions to this practice. For example, as a player I would think it would be justified to refrain from this practice if an opponent has clearly intentionally injured one of my teammates. Or if an opponent consistently displays deep disrespect for the game, officials, and her opponents, is there something disingenuous about shaking her hand after the game?
Or take a case that is less clear, but one that I've been thinking about lately for personal reasons. As a coach in youth sports, am I obligated to shake the hand of my opposing coach if he or she spends the entire game berating their own players, criticizing the referee, and engaging in other patters of disrespectful behavior?
The bottom line question is this: Is the respect that is communicated via the postgame handshake dependent in some sense on how an opponent conducts themselves, such that there are times when it is appropriate to refrain from this tradition? Thoughts, anyone?
Cross-posted at Philosophy of Sport.
5 comments:
Hello,this is Wendell Phelps a former student of yours. I just wanted to commend you and Scott Parker on putting together a fine book " Coffee Philosophy For Everyone".I have really enjoyed reading the various essays and must say the book is not only informative but also very entertaining. It makes for a fun read.
Thanks, Wendell, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Hope all is well.
Mike
I think I share your intuitions. However, I could see someone making the argument that the postgame handshake should be a gesture more symbolic of respect for the game as opposed to the moral quality of the individual person; does that make any sense?
It does make sense, I've had people say that to me about this post. There may be something to that, perhaps a handshake and nothing more shows respect for the game, and any verbal comments are reserved for respect for the opponent, if it is deserved.
Thanks for this article! I enjoyed it! I'm torn over whether teams should continue this tradition or not. On the one hand, it's respect for other teams. On the other, what's the point? There's a good discussion of this over at TC Huddle. I found your article looking for more opinions on this.
This is a good article. Thanks! Here's the article that led me here if you're interested. It's enjoyable if nothing else. http://www.tchuddle.com/2011/10/what%e2%80%99s-in-a-handshake/
-Mike
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