SPORTSMANSHIP...

Image Credit: iStockphoto.com via infotel.ca

Sportsmanship. You’ve all heard of it but what does it really mean and do we live by it? By now you likely have heard about the peewee player in Vernon. The brave 12-year-old who went against his angry coach and disgruntled team to take a knee on the blue line ready to shake his opponents' hands alone in honor of the game. If not, check it out. It’s worth the short read.

This boy showed a courage and sportsmanship so great that it brought the hockey spectators to their feet in tears. It got me thinking about The Game. I’m not talking about a sports game here but rather the Game of Life and the players we face daily. I know, sorry I just got all deep on you, but I can’t help but be aware of some of the harsh realities in the marketplace (amongst others for sure!). Turn on the TV or follow a bus down the street and you’re hit with competitor jabs pinning product against product, player against player, and I wonder if this has really become the norm to us? Is this considered sportsmanship in this day in age? Saddened, I hope not.
 
The small business, the ‘mom and pop’ shop or even a big box office store that respects their fellow players in the marketplace will always be my go-to. You know the kind I’m referring to; the kind of store where you want to talk to the staff, the store that has that “old-school” approach of truly believing what they sell and are excited to provide their service to the public. No jabs, no low blows, because they don’t need to. The crowds will come because of the sportsmanship they offer.
 
We, as a store, believe in great competition and are elevated by our fellow players for sure, but our passion for the art of custom framing keeps us true to the game and respectful of the sport. 

Sportsmanship and its true essence: perhaps a forgotten trait? Or perhaps something that exits in all of us but that has become buried by the evolution of the market and the rise of competition. I’d like to believe that we all have that 12-year old in us. The one that shows us that sportsmanship does still exist and that everyday we can decide how to play the Game. ​