CLASS IS NOT CIRCUMSTANTIAL
I was reading an article yesterday about the Tour de France. On Monday, Lance Armstrong (whose won the last four Tours) crashed briefly when his handlebars got caught on a spectator's bag. I guess that shows how closely the crowd is to the cyclists.

Anyways, Jan Ullrich (who won the '97 Tour), who was in front at that point in that particular stage, decided to not attack the course until Armstrong was back on his bike. This, according to numerous newspaper reports, was considered "the convention" in cycling. Nevertheless, I was heartened by Ullrich's decision. And it seems Armstrong made a similar gesture two years ago when Ullrich crashed.

Sportsmanship isn't exactly in vogue, today. It's increasingly dismissed as "the way of the loser." The media celebrates chumps like Allen Iversen and Bobby Knight just because they flap their gums. Players and coaches who are really good but act don't act like idiots on the court/field, Grant Hill comes to mind, are dismissed as boring. Sorry, Pete Sampras, you're not obnoxious (like Lleyton Hewitt or Greg Rudseski). You just collect Grand Slam titles like other people collect Magic cards and conduct yourself like an adult. Sampras must be a "loser" too.

What's even more impressive about Ullrich's gesture is that it might cost him the Tour. As of today, he was in 2nd place overall, only 67 seconds behind Armstrong going into the last few days. If he'd pressed the attack even for that brief period Armstrong was on the ground, he'd be even closer, perhaps even ahead. But he was a sportsman even though it might rob him of final victory. And that's what makes Ullrich's decision even classier. It's one thing to be magnanimous when you're so far ahead it won't matter or when you're so far behind you have no hope of catching up. But that brief period literally might be the difference between first and second for Ullrich.

Sportsmanship is nothing more than good manners. Fred Astaire once said, "The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any." As a coach, I agree. Young athletes today aren't exactly swamped with role models who combine high achievement and decent behavior. Sports are, by definition, competitive. They are hard fought and typically intense. You want to win. And if you win, then the other side necessarily will not.

Some will do anything to win. Others will follow just the letter of the rules. But some decide that they will not chuck their moral code or conscience or sense of fair play at the door of their particular event. Class is not sporadic, it's not circumstantial. Either you have it or you don't. And Ullrich does. I tip my cap to him.