Aside from the usual homecoming activities going on at SRU athletic events this week, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) has announced that Oct. 17-23 will be “PSAC Sportsmanship Week.”
All 18 PSAC schools will be participating in a campaign to “emphasize and promote sportsmanship as it relates to the league’s schools, coaches, student-athletes and fans,” the PSAC said in a press release.
At Slippery Rock, there will be special public address announcements prior to each home game and teams will be shaking hands before the start of each game.
SRU athletic director Paul Lueken thinks sportsmanship is important to competition and important for athletes and fans to respect one another.
“I think it’s a good way to promote sportsmanship and bring it to light on a conference-wide level, across the state,” Lueken said. “We always try to promote good sportsmanship and always want our teams to display it on and off the field. Win or lose, we need to show good sportsmanship.”
There will also be PSAC sportsmanship weeks for the winter and spring seasons this academic year, Jan. 23-29 for winter and April 3-9 for spring.
“It’s easy to say nice game after you win,” Lueken said. “Even more important to be able to congratulate an opponent that has beaten you, especially with intense rivalries, as mutual respect is often lacking in sports across the country.”
