Jef Goodger, the bowling writer for About.com, recently posted an excellent article titled "Barnes, Belmonte Show What Bowling Can Be." Referring to the final match of last Sunday's PBA telecast, he writes: "Was it the best bowling match ever? Definitely not. But yesterday's final match-play contest between Chris Barnes and Jason Belmonte was one of the most entertaining I've seen in a long time." I agree. The final scores weren't close, but the road to those scores was paved with abundant excitement.
Jef goes on to write about how there's been a lot of talk lately about sportsmanship or the lack thereof in bowling and other sports, and how he likes to see good sportsmanship amongst the bowlers, but he also likes to see bowlers who really want to win and who effectively balance good sportsmanship with competitiveness in a way that commands our attention and fuels our excitement. He concludes by saying:
"To clarify, I'm a proponent of sportsmanship. I don't think bowlers need to be at the point of taunting each other on the lanes, as is what happens in most more popular sports like football, hockey and basketball, but that doesn't mean a bowler should have to hide his emotions. You can be competitive and a gentleman at the same time. Yesterday, we saw that out of Barnes and Belmonte. I'd like to see more of it out of more people."
Again, I agree. But how far can competitiveness go before it becomes unsportsmanlike, how far can sportsmanship go before it becomes monotonously if not sickeningly sweet and nice, and how can we tell the difference? What's more, does achieving a wholesome balance between competitiveness and sportsmanship make one the best bowler he can be, or does someone need to be more competitive than nice to be the best bowler possible?
You can read Jef Goodger's entire article here.
