In this mini episode, you will learn the terms “good sport” and “bad sport.”
Episode 362 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the terms “good sport” and “bad sport.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi! This is Ivy, from Wuzhou, Guangxi, China. You’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 362 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you an interesting way to use a word you probably already know. The word I’m thinking of is sport. Sport: s-p-o-r-t.
Usually, when we hear or use the word sport, it means an activity like basketball or soccer or tennis. Those are examples of sports.
But we can also use the word sport to describe a certain kind of person or a person who acts in a certain way.
And, when we use the word sport this way, we usually use it in one of two ways. We talk about “good sports” and “bad sports.” And, sometimes, instead of saying “bad sports,” we can say “poor sport.” Poor sport: p-o-o-r. So we can talk about people who are good sports and people who are bad or poor sports.
You might think that a good sport is somebody who is good at playing acertain sport. Maybe a good sport is somebody who can play basketball or baseball well. That is not what a good sport is.
In a way, a good sport is actually the opposite of that. Because a good sport is somebody who is good at losing. It’s not really someone who is good at losing. What it means is somebody who can lose in a good way. Somebody who can lose and still be respectful. Or somebody who can lose and still have a good attitude.
If somebody is playing a game or playing a sport and loses, and that person acts in a kind or respectful way, we say that person is a good sport. Or that person is being a good sport. Or that person is acting like a good sport.
And so, when a good sport loses, that person acts in a good way. That person acts in a grown-up way. That person does not get angry. That person does not feel really bad and terrible and embarrassed. No, instead, that person says, “I lost, but that’s okay.” A good sport might even say, to his or her opponent, “You did very well. I think you played very well today.” That is a good sport.
A bad sport is the opposite. A bad sport does not lose well. When a bad sport loses a game, he or she is angry. He or she is embarrassed. He or she acts in a disrespectful way.
Good sports can accept the fact that they have lost, but bad sports cannot accept the fact that they have lost. When bad sports lose, they get angry. They are annoying. Oh, they’re just so terrible. They do not act in a dignified or polite way.
We use good sport and bad sport when we are talking about games and sports. But really, we can use good sport and bad sport when we talk about any kind of activity or any kind of situation.
If somebody acts in a kind or respectful way, when they lose or when things don’t go the way they’d like them to, or when people can accept that kind of disappointment, we say that person is a good sport. And, if somebody cannot lose in a respectful way, or if somebody cannot accept when things don’t go the way they’d like them to, that person is a bad sport.
That is good sport and bad sport, two common phrases that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 362 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Ivy recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!