A Sand County Almanac

by

Aldo Leopold

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
The Value of the Land Theme Icon
Ethics and Ecology Theme Icon
...“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... (full context)
The Value of the Land Theme Icon
Ethics and Ecology Theme Icon
Expanding on the concept of sportsmanship, Leopold looks back to an archetypical pioneer, the original sportsman. These pioneers traveled lightly, and... (full context)
Ethics and Ecology Theme Icon
Leopold admits that while gadgets often replace sportsmanship, it is possible for both to coexist. He gives the example of Theodore Roosevelt, who... (full context)
Ethics and Ecology Theme Icon
...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... (full context)