Do you have class?

I always tell my daughter to never be afraid to ask me something.  If she has a question, just ask Daddy.  I didn't understand the gravity of my instructions when I gave them.  Sometimes those questions come straight out of left field.  Other times, they are spot-on and challenge what I know or think I know.  Monday night's question was simple, yet difficult. "Daddy, what does good mean?"  Now, before you call Rockhurst or Walden University and ask them to rescind my degrees, define it for yourself.  It's not so easy when you think about it.  Sure, we all know when something is good, but can we define it?  I told her that good means you have done the right thing or done something right.  Then, I gave her examples of both and we continued with dinner.

My daughter's question leads me to a word thrown around a lot in sports and I'm sure very few people know what it means.  The word is class.  We're so quick to judge someone as having class or being classless.  What does it mean?  I'll get back to that in a moment.  I was listening to sports-talk radio earlier this week and the host was going on and on about how Tiger Woods lacks class.  I'm not about to debate whether he does or doesn't here, but a guest asked the host a very interesting question. "How do you define class?"  The host went on to say that a person with class is cordial and engaging.  As a matter of fact, it doesn't mean either of those things.  By the definitions I found in the Merriam-Webster and Oxford dictionaries, class has nothing to do with sportsmanship, character, or attitude.  I know.  I'm throwing a monkey in the wrench, but the discussion is necessary.

What is class?  I'm challenging every reader of this blog to respond in the comment section with a definition of class focused on sportsmanship or character.   Just to sweeten the pot, I'll make it worth your while.  We'll have a contest.  I'm looking for the three best definitions of class relative to sportsmanship.  Submissions must be made by 5 p.m. CDT on April 15, 2010.  Be sure to copy your comment in an email to me - salexander@stlsports.org.  Our three winners will receive a Target gift card mailed to them anywhere in the Continental U.S.  You have your orders.  Proceed with class.  Until next time...

Be a Good Sport!

-Sol