A term repurposed by Leopold. He defines sportsmanship as any voluntary behaviors that limit a person’s use of mechanical technology in favor of a more primitive technology that requires greater skill. For example, Leopold sees falconry and archery as demonstrating more sportsmanship than hunting with a rifle, because the latter requires relatively little skill, and relies instead on the power of the mechanized tool, whereas the former require extensive training.
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Sportsmanship Term Timeline in A Sand County Almanac
The timeline below shows where the term Sportsmanship appears in A Sand County Almanac. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part III: Wildlife in American Culture
...“man-earth experiences.” Third, Leopold finds value in any activities that force a person to practice “sportsmanship.” By this he means that any activity which requires a person to voluntarily limit their...
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Expanding on the concept of sportsmanship, Leopold looks back to an archetypical pioneer, the original sportsman. These pioneers traveled lightly, and...
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Leopold admits that while gadgets often replace sportsmanship, it is possible for both to coexist. He gives the example of Theodore Roosevelt, who...
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...overall increase in mechanization, and a decrease in the cultural values (like split-rail values and sportsmanship) he finds so important. He argues that outdoor recreation is “essentially primitive,” and therefore unsuited...
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