Unsportsmanlike conduct (also calleduntrustworthy behaviour,ungentlemanly fraudulent,bad sportsmanship,poor sportsmanship oranti fair-play) is afoul or offense in manysports that violates the sport's generally accepted rules ofsportsmanship and participant conduct. Examples includeverbal abuse, taunting of an opponent or a game official, an excessive celebration following a significant play, or feigning injury. The official rules of many sports include a general provision whereby participants or an entire team may be penalized or otherwise sanctioned for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Inassociation football, the term "unsporting behaviour" is more commonly used, being one of the listed reasons under law 12 of thelaws of the game for which ayellow card may be given. It is interpreted broadly, most commonly to sanctionfouls which are more serious than most, though below a level which would merit ared card.[1] Other examples include extravagant goal celebrations (e.g. removing one's jersey) and simulating actions intended to deceive the referee (diving).
InAmerican football, unsportsmanlike conduct results in a 15-yardpenalty, assessed after the completion of a play.[2] When it occurs after a scoring play, the 15 yards are assessed on the kickoff. Situations that can incur such a penalty includeexcessive celebrations after plays, often involving props or multiple players or engaging in taunting against an opponent; a player's purposeful removal of his helmet anywhere in the field of play during or in between plays; or if asubstitute leaves the team bench during a fight. Unsportsmanlike conduct can also lead to players or coaches being ejected from the game if the conduct is found to be flagrant, such as making contact with game officials. In theNCAA, two unsportsmanlike conduct fouls lead to the offender's ejection. Two unsportsmanlike conduct fouls may lead to the offender's ejection in theNFL, depending on the nature of each foul (a rule first implemented for the 2016 season after the events of the previous season's clash betweenNew York Giants receiverOdell Beckham Jr. andCarolina Panthers defensive backJosh Norman; one of the first ejections under this rule was Giants centerWeston Richburg with the second foul being for a cheap shot against Norman in a Week 3 clash with theWashington Redskins, which had added Norman to the roster that offseason).[3] In addition, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty is assessed on a punter or kicker whoflops in an attempt to draw a roughing the kicker penalty, goaltending at the crossbar to block a field goal attempt, or attempts to call a second timeout during the same dead ball period to ice the kicker. Players cannot be disqualified for a flop, goaltend, or illegal timeout call. In addition, the NFL rules state an excessive timeout is an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The referee signals unsportsmanlike conduct by holding his arms outstretched with palms facing downward. Coaches can also receive an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for taunting, arguing with, or abusing officials, one of the few times a coach's actions can be penalized outside of the rarepalpably unfair act penalty; however, unlike the players, coaches cannot be disqualified for their second.[4]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the definition of unsportsmanlike conduct was expanded to include violating protocols designed to curb the spread ofCOVID-19. Penalties may include fines, suspensions, or even loss of draft picks[5] in addition to the standard 15-yard penalty for the guilty party.[6]
InCanadian football, unsportsmanlike conduct is covered by two penalties. Nonviolent offenses constitute anobjectionable conduct foul and only carries a 10-yard penalty. (Indoor American football leagues, because of the shorter field, also assign a 10-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.)Rough play is the foul called for unsportsmanlike violent behavior; it carries a 25-yard penalty, the largest in all gridiron football.
Inbasketball, such misconduct is penalized by atechnical foul as opposed to apersonal foul. The technical foul is akin to a caution in that two such fouls warrant an expulsion, although egregious conduct will be immediately assessed two consecutive technical fouls, or in at least one case, one.
In fighting sports such asboxing, unsportsmanlike conduct such as low blows or elbowing can result in a competitor losing a match by disqualification.[7]
Incricket, such behaviour is considered to be violating the "spirit of the game". The preamble to theLaws of Cricket[8] state certain actions which may violate the spirit of cricket. A more detailed list (along with appropriate sanctions) is given in theICC Cricket Code of Conduct. Since good behaviour in cricket is traditionally deemed thesine qua non of a gentleman to the game's historical status as a "gentleman's game", it has led to the saying "It's not cricket", an English language phrase meaning unsportsmanlike conduct in sports, in business, or in life in general. There is considerable debate over whethersledging should be deemed as "unsportsmanlike behaviour" and banned due to several high profile punishable instances of racial and verbal abuse during international matches; proponents have argued that sledging was meant to be witty and humorous and not a personal attack on the opposition player.[9][10][11] In-game punishments for offences are not substantial and often limited to a handful of penalty runs, but can have much wider consequences as the umpires call into question thehonour,integrity andhonesty of the player. This can cause significant recriminations from players & nations accused. An example of which was the2006 ball-tampering controversy, where two umpires judged that Pakistan had beenball tampering and awarded 5penalty runs to England. Pakistan refused to take the field after a break in play, causing a forfeit win to be given to England and a huge scandal within the sport.
Inice hockey, unsportsmanlike conduct is defined in Rule 75 of theNational Hockey League andIIHF Rule Book[12][13] both read as follows:"Players, goalkeepers and non-playing Club personnel are responsible for their conduct at all times and must endeavor to prevent disorderly conduct before, during or after the game, on or off the ice and any place in the rink. The Referees may assess penalties to any of the above team personnel for failure to do so." A player can receive a two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. Unusually for a team sport,fighting, in most circumstances, does not constitute unsportsmanlike conduct. Referees signal the penalty by making a "T" shape with their hands; palm to finger tips. This leads to it being referred to as being "T'd off".
Field lacrosse's definition of unsportsmanlike conduct generally includes the same behavior as other sports, such as arguing with the official over a call, usingfoul language, using the lacrosse stick as a weapon for attacking players and/or nonplaying personnel, and fans, taunting or baiting other players. It is considered apersonal foul under the rules. Coaches and nonplaying personnel can incur the penalty if they enter the field without the official's permission (save situations where the rules allow it) or use abusive language toward officials. Additional infractions can be called if the behavior continues. Penalties can vary from one to three minutes, usually non-releasable; in some less severe instances that do not involve abusive conduct, such as deliberately handling the ball during play, repeatedly committing the sametechnical foul or deliberately delaying return to the playing field in order to gain an advantage, those penalties are releasable.[14]
Under rules for high school boys/girls' lacrosse, a second unreleasable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the same player is an automaticejection foul. The player must serve three unreleasable minutes in the penalty area; when that time expires, a substitute must re-enter the game in his place. (S)he must leave the game area unless they are no school personnel around to supervise, in which case (s)he is confined to the bench area for the rest of the game, plus his/hersuspension increasing by a game.[15]
InFormula 1, drivers are shown a black-and-white flag for unsportsmanlike driving; if said driving continues, the driver will be shown afully-black flag which outright disqualifies that driver.[16] For unsportsmanlike conduct that occurred once the race has ended, or outside a race, the phrase "bringing the sport into disrepute" is used, such as regarding use ofteam orders or when FIA expelledAndrea Moda Formula in 1992.[17]
NASCAR likewise has section 12-4, which prohibits actions that are "detrimental to stock car racing". This was invoked againstMichael Waltrip Racing as a result of apparentlygaming the system in order to allow their driverMartin Truex Jr. to make the 2013Chase for the Cup.[18] Another example was whenMarcos Ambrose andCasey Mears were fined for attacking each other in the pit area after the2014 Toyota Owners 400.[19] Abuse of officials has caused an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the 2010 fall Texas race, where NASCAR gaveKyle Busch a two-lap hold penalty for an unsportsmanlike gesture Busch gave an official while serving a one-lap hold penalty for speeding in the pits in an attempt to exit ahead of thesafety car.
Intennis, such conduct is categorized as a "code violation". Examples include racket abuse (intentionally throwing a racket or using it to strike an object other than the ball), ball abuse (intentionally hitting or throwing the ball into the stands outside of normal play), or intentionally shouting during a point in order to distract an opponent. Penalties vary based on the organizers of the match or tournament and usually start with a verbal warning for a first violation, and forfeiture of a point, game, or a match for additional violations.
Unsportsmanlike conduct also includes attempts by players ofmatch fixing, which has seen teams deliberately lose (a thrown game) or achieve draws or select scores, in order to receive a more favorable knockout bracket or a higher draft pick.
