Sportsmanship first: Keeping it classy at the games

This is a reaction to “UAAP: UST reaches for unending grace over NUNS ‘tasteless taunting,’” (12/10/25), which reported on how a few members of the National University Nazareth School (NUNS) boys’ volleyball team apologized for their acts of “tasteless taunting” directed at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) players, in their do-or-die University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) semifinal match on Dec. 8. I witnessed it firsthand as I watched the game at the Ateneo gym.

As those handful of Bullpups started taunting the Junior Golden Spikers right after the last point, I kept my annoyance at bay, telling myself that I probably just felt the sting of their actions more deeply because I am a Thomasian myself. But within the next few hours, I read the social media posts by some collegiate and professional volleyball players, whose own displeasure toward that incident validated what I initially felt.

Those boys have since been severely bashed online, which may be satisfying to less forgiving netizens. But no person in his right mind would like for them to be deeply traumatized by that. So let us hope that—having been jolted by this massive censure—they have learned their lesson, realizing that it’s better to be a gracious and humble winner. They could take their cue from Filipino judoka Chino Sy, who helped his opponent get back up on his feet after needing to pin him down on the mat for several seconds until time ran out, securing gold at the recent Southeast Asian Games. That was a class act—touching and worth emulating.

As for the NUNS administration, kudos to them for releasing a statement of apology the next day. In part, it reads: “We have met with the players and coaches involved, imposed appropriate sanctions, and are reinforcing our formation programs to ensure this never happens again.” For those boys’ own good, we hope that they really did deal with the situation fairly and objectively.

However, I did wonder (as many others did) why not any of their coaches prevented them from taunting UST. I do not want to think that they took delight in the stunt their wards pulled off, and that they were (are) remiss in instilling in them the values of sportsmanship. Coaches, you can do better next time.

If there’s anyone, though, who should be commended in all this, it was UAAP commissioner Mike Verano, who approached the NUNS players as they were making the crying gestures at their fallen foes across the net. He seemed ready to stop anybody from doing anything more antagonistic and provocative, which could have made things more volatile. That was admirable of him.

Just as we encourage these student-athletes to be competitive, let us also mold their character as human beings who respect their competitors—win or lose. Their actions on the court reflect (fairly or unfairly) on the schools they represent—respectable institutions of learning that comprise the UAAP, the country’s premier athletic league for high school and college students. Let’s keep it dignified and classy.