Is Odysseus a Good Sport?

Warm up writing idea: What's your definition of a "good sport"? Competitive sports...even the Olympic games...originated from the ancient Greeks. What are some of the positive results of competition (sports, music, speech, academic, etc.), and what are some of the negative? How is sportsmanship nurtured in the public school setting? (You might think of the athletes or competitors, coaches, parents, and so forth.) Is sportsmanship a worthwhile lesson to learn, and are schools teaching it?

Believe it or not, I thought of this topic as I reread today's story, The Cyclops. Our hero, known for his wisdom, outsmarts an incredibly dumb monster. In fact, the story -to me- is almost so silly it seems slapstick. You have to wonder as you are reading today, why does Odysseus tell the Cyclops his name is Nobody! Then, amidst all the blood and gore of cannibalism, Odysseus dreams up a scheme to get his men out of the Cyclops's cave and safely onto the boats to leave. (There's a rodeo event today - I'm not sure what it's called- where a rider tries to ride on the underbelly of a sheep to see who can stay on the longest! I wonder where they got that idea!)

So...you'd think that Odysseus would gratefully row off into the sunset as he and his men escape with their lives, but no, he becomes the epitome of a bad sport. In what looks like a weak moment as his crew is rowing off, Odysseus can't keep his mouth shut. He yells at the Cyclops, taunting him by gloating about fooling him. It makes me think of the basketball player who has to slap the court or wave his fist to the crowd after he sinks a basket. I don't know about you, but it ruins the moment for me, and I think to myself, "I don't admire you anymore since you admire yourself enough already!" I thought that, too, of Odysseus. In my opinion, he deserves the trouble that will follow up due to this outburst of ego. Too bad. There's nothing like grace and humility combined with talent. Now that I admire!