PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Being an athlete means you may experience wins and losses but being a good sport means handling both with grace.
That's the message student-athletes in Portsmouth are sharing in a new video PSA, noting that being kind is more important than being the victor of a game.
"We're all one city, so we should all have love for one another," said Antwann Merritt, a senior at I. C. Norcom High School. He is an outside linebacker on the football team and plays small forward during basketball season.
Merritt is also in his second year on the Portsmouth Public Schools Student Athletic Committee, a group of student-athletes who come together to represent their peers and help improve the athletic experience at their school.
"We help build and make sure athletic events are [as] safe and [as] fun as possible for everyone to enjoy," Merritt said.
Over the summer, the group created a video PSA called "Good Sportsmanship Starts With All Of Us" to share one message with the community -- it's important to cheer for everyone. Portsmouth Public Schools posted the video to its Facebook, Instagram, and X accounts on August 23.
"We wanted to make sure everyone is just having fun," Merritt said. "Sports is just a game, and we [want to] make sure everyone is enjoying the game instead of taking it a little to the extreme."
Shani Twyman, Portsmouth Public Schools Coordinator of Division Athletics, oversees the committee. She noted that sportsmanship is a priority of the Virginia High School League, the governing body for high school sports and activities in Portsmouth and across the commonwealth.
Twyman also stressed the significance of students taking ownership of the sportsmanship campaign.
"My goal was for Portsmouth Public Schools to sort of set the standard and become this premier athletic program where sportsmanship wasn't just a buzzword, but kind of a way of life for our student-athletes," she said.
The student athletic committee not only promotes school spirit but aims to address athlete concerns and influence decisions that affect their sports programs.
"Our student-athletes do an amazing job. They work hard year-round to do their best and perform their best, on the field and on the court," Twyman said. "And we just want everybody that comes to any of our athletic contests to feel safe, have a good time, and always know that we're there for the student-athletes."
Twyman said she is proud of the committee members for exercising their voices for good.
"The students are here because of their love of sports. They should have an atmosphere where they feel safe, where it's ethical behavior, and just a good time is had by all," she said. "And if they can lead the charge, I think that everyone else will follow suit."
The committee's goal is for the good sportsmanship video to be played during athletic events and parent information nights across Portsmouth Public Schools.
Click here to watch the full video.