In a social media world where fights between players in the handshake line, fights among fans in the bleachers and fights in the locker room always seem to receive the most clicks and attention, let's hope a simple act of sportsmanship and kindness from Saturday's South Gate-Dorsey football playoff game goes viral.
After South Gate won the City Section Division I semifinal 28-20, several Dorsey players were distraught.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe winning quarterback, junior Michael Gonzalez, heard a strange sound while shaking hands.
"I heard someone crying," he said. "I looked to my right and saw two players, one I knew and one I didn't."
He went over to console both. The player he didn't know, William Smith of Dorsey, was resting on one knee, head down, helmet off.
Gonzalez said he told him, "There's more to life than just football. You got college. Keep your head up. It was a good game."
Losing a semifinal game is tough. But winning and acting with class and respect also can be tough.
Asked where he learned about sportsmanship, Gonzalez said, "It's what I was taught by my mom and coaches. Be a good person no matter what."
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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