Sportsmanship, gamesmanship and deviance
I can describe and give examples of sportsmanship and gamesmanship, and explain how athletes’ behaviour can be influenced.
Sportsmanship, gamesmanship and deviance
I can describe and give examples of sportsmanship and gamesmanship, and explain how athletes’ behaviour can be influenced.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Sportsmanship is upholding fairness, respect, and graciousness in victory or defeat, demonstrating ethical conduct.
- Gamesmanship involves using clever yet unethical tactics to gain a competitive edge without breaking the rules.
- Deviance is cheating and goes against the etiquette of sport.
- Violence occurs as a result of frustration, pressure and the desire to win.
Keywords
Etiquette - a convention or unwritten rule in an activity and it is not an enforceable rule but it is usually observed
Sportsmanship - conforming to the rules, spirit and etiquette of a sport
Gamesmanship - attempting to gain an advantage by bending the rules to their limit (but not breaking them)
Deviance - behaviour that is either immoral or seriously breaks the rules and norms of the sport
Violence - physical acts committed in sport that go beyond the accepted rules of play or the expected levels of contact within a contact sport
Common misconception
Students may incorrectly assume that sportsmanship and gamemanship are the same thing.
Sportsmanship is positively conforming to the rules and etiquette of the sport, whereas gamesmanship is more negative because a performer may bend the rules to gain advantage.
To help you plan your year 11 physical education lesson on: Sportsmanship, gamesmanship and deviance, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 physical education lesson on: Sportsmanship, gamesmanship and deviance, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 physical education lessons from the Socio-cultural influences: ethics and behaviour unit, dive into the full secondary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions
sportsmanship - conforming to the rules, spirit and etiquette of sport
gamesmanship - to gain advantage by bending the rules in sport
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a convention or unwritten rule in an activity
ethical, appropriate, polite and fair behaviour while participating.
pushing the limits to gain unfair advantage
behaviour that is either immoral or seriously breaks the rules
physical acts committed in sport that go beyond the accepted rules
in basketball: congratulating an opponent on a successful jump shot
throwing the ball away to waste time when your team is winning
pushing over another player intentionally when they dribble past you