'Bad sportsmanship is rife' as youngsters play to win

RULE-BREAKING is rife on the school playing field with youngsters willing to elbow, headbutt and argue their way to victory, a poll found today.

More than half (54 per cent) of eight to 16-year-olds say they witness bad sportsmanship in every single game they play, according to a survey by the Cricket Foundation and the MCC.

Teenagers are the worst – with almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of 14-year-olds saying they regularly see unfair play. More than seven in ten youngsters witnessed cheating in team sports, compared with just 5.8 per cent for individual games.

And more than half (57.8 per cent) of eight to 16-year-olds say they would break the rules in team games, compared with 13.3 per cent playing individual sports. Among the examples of bad sportsmanship cited were people pretending to be hurt, diving in football matches to win penalties and swearing.