Kant's statement denounces such a perspective. Such a mentality, when weighed against Kant's words, espouses the use of what most would consider unsportsmanlike tactics as a "means" used for personal gain. In relation to sport, this personal gain can range from a slight advantage over an opponent to an actual victory. But when using these tactics, no regard is given to the opponent's feelings or well being.
While it is desirable for those participating in sport to exercise good sportsmanship, often that is easier said than done. The very essence of competition is to gain an advantage over the opponent while displaying superior athletic ability or strategy. Someone must win and someone must lose. Sportsmanship, when applied to athletics and broken down into its purest form, asks the athlete to treat competition as nonchalantly as a walk in the park, never taking into account emotional fluctuations during the heat of battle. After an athlete has trained intensely for weeks, and has literally exhausted himself mentally, physically and emotionally in pursuit of victory, to ask him to act fairly in competition, with modesty in victory and graciousness in defeat, is asking a great deal (Keating, 1964, pp.30). Yet, it would seem that Kant would require such, in the name of respecting an opponent's feelings. Still, most athletes, especially professionals, have become masters at least at feigning a great deal of self-control in both victory and defeat. This is characterized by the customary handshake that usually follows the end of a contest. .
Because of this, it would seem that Kant's words do, in fact, prevail in athletic competition. However, it is difficult to apply Kant's statement universally in modern sport thanks primarily to the emphasis society has placed on winning. In professional sports especially, with victory come rewards, usually in monetary form. Too frequent losses can often result in termination or a pay decrease, such as the firing of a losing coach or the renegotiation of the contract of a player with diminishing skills.
