Don’t have time to follow all 250 or so sports out there SO PLEASE DON’T RIP ME make your arguments, but based on my experience and first impressions:
MOST UNSPORTSMANLIKE
MLB Baseball
-Pitchers trying to deliberately hit batters because they showed them up or the other team’s pitchers hit their batters, followed up by dugout clearing brawls.
-Base runners “spikes up” dirty tactics including trying to the second baseman’s legs out during the throw from first base
-Spitballs, emery boards, and other dirty tactics by baseball pitchers
-Steroids and other PEDs trying to get the advantage
-An under reported signal stealing scheme by many teams
-No shaking of the hands by the teams after a game or a series. Everyone just heads right back to the dugout.
Is there a dirtier game with a longer history of cheating than professional baseball? Is there truly any sport with less sportsmanship and more dirty dealing than baseball?
NHL hockey
I think the reasons for this are obvious. Only reasons not #1 are the handshake lines after each Stanley Cup playoff series, ironically one of the biggest displays of sportsmanship in athletics, and there is actually a “code” amongst fighters.
NASCAR
Ok we can debate “athletes” here on another thread, and while many racers are friends. there seems to be a fist fight every other race, finger pointing every race, and some dirty tactics between drivers despite speeds at over 200 miles per hour and the risk of death. 1/2 the fun of NASCAR seems to be the “paint rubbing”.
Other sports that seem to be unsportsmanlike: Australian Rules Football, Ladies Ice Skating, Lacrosse. Suspicious? Polo!
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MOST SPORTSMANLIKE
Judo
Been watching international tournaments over the past year or so, the athletes follow referees instructions to the letter, and shakes each others hands no matter the decision even unfair. Excessive celebration from winners is very rare, and I know there was one time at the Olympics or another competition a judo player attacked a referee, which was viewed with horror by the Judo community.
NFL football
Cant tell you how many times I’ve seen players help up players they just tackled, and when the game is over, everyone goes from trying to kill each other to best friends.
Soccer
Yeah I know there is diving, and dirty tackles but at the end of the day most of the teams seem to be able to put their differences aside and shake hands at the end of the match and even trade kits. I think the combination of many players being on the same club but different countries and vice versa helps. Seems to me the players “know” each other, and recognize their foes are just trying to do their job in multiple venues.
Other sports that "seem " to have good sportsmanship: Rugby, Formula One (at least among the podium racers), golf, UFC and boxing . . .
Agree? Disagree? Is there a sport I missed? Who are the good sports and bad sports out there? Remember: BY SPORT, not athlete!