10 Recent Awesome Acts of Sportsmanship

There are a lot of things that upset people in sports these days, but one thing that will always remind fans that there's still some good in the world are acts of good sportsmanship.

While some players enjoy gloating, talking trash, dabbing and trying to humiliate their opponents, here are recent acts of sportsmanship that will restore your faith in the athletic human race—and they all deserve to be applauded.

10. Kobe Bryant Signs Shoes/Jerseys For Opposing Players

Recently retired Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant made a reputation for being ruthless on the basketball court, not only going at opponents, but laying into some of his teammates when he thought it necessary, too.

But Bryant showed signs of humility and gratitude during his final NBA season this year, flashing a smile that many of us rarely saw and doing things to show his appreciation.

One of those things was his penchant for signing shoes for opponents, fans and anyone else who wanted something to remember The Black Mamba by. Some may not find it to be a huge deal, but coming from a legend like Bryant, it was out of the ordinary and awesome to see.

9. Athletes Who Swap Jerseys After Games

I know that this happens after nearly every single soccer match, but, for whatever reason, seeing players swap jerseys in the NFL is one of the cooler things I've seen in sports.

A sign of respect and appreciation for an opponent, guys like wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Antonio Brown have done it, with plenty of others following suit after a game full of big hits.

While little leaguers resort to high-fives, handshakes and "good games" following a match, some NFL players continue to take things to the next level by recognizing the abilities of other guys on opposite sidelines.

8. High School Wrestler Forfeits Match For Senior Opponent To Earn A Career Milestone

One of my favorite ones on this list, an entire Pennsylvania high school wrestling team deserves to be applauded for this move.

Long story short, an opponent by the name of Lucas Ortiz was sidelined with a knee injury during his senior season and stuck on 99 career wins at Conestoga Valley High School, leaving him one short of that milestone of 100 victories.

With members of the Chambersburg High team knowing Ortiz and hearing he was a good guy, the school's wrestler, Matt Strunk, decided to forfeit a match with him to give Luis Ortiz that 100th high school victory.

Per Ed Gotwals of GametimePA.com (h/t USA Today), Strunk said:

Some of our guys know Lucas pretty well and said he’s a really good guy, so we wanted to do something for him. I told the guys that Colin (Runshaw) should go up to 160 and I’ll give up the forfeit at 152. It wasn’t a hard decision for me – he’s a senior and was stuck on 99 wins and it was the right thing to do.

Ortiz was appreciative of the gesture, adding, "That meant a lot to me. Not so much because it put me at 100 wins, but it just shows that they are great guys.”

Classy all the way around, so good work, boys.

7. Derek Jeter Bids Farewell To Boston Red Sox Fans

Every sports fan old enough to speak is familiar with the bitter rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, as it stretches back all the way to the early-1900s.

That's why the gesture former Yanks shortstop Derek Jeter did in his final MLB game in 2014 was so remarkable and classy.

After hitting a game-winning, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning during his last at-bat in Yankee Stadium—which would have been an all-too fitting end to his Hall of Fame career—The Captain decided to honor the opposing fans.

Believing that he owed it to the Boston faithful to make an appearance rather than rest the final road stand, Jeter not only stepped to the plate for one last time, heard a raucous applause from Sox fans, but then thanked Red Sox greats to say goodbye.

Jeter, man, what a class act.

6. Despite Losing By 23 Points, Desert Chapel High School Gives Player with Autism His Shining Moment

It's not very often that a team who's getting blown out is willing to let another team score, yet that's what happened during a basketball game in 2014 between two California high schools.

Here's a breakdown of what happened, per Fox Sports:

With Trinity leading 75-52 with less than a minute left to play, the team subs in 5-foot-6 freshman Beau Howell, a player with autism who, according to one of the announcers in the video, has become a source of inspiration for the team and its fans. ...

His Trinity teammates immediately get the ball to Howell after the in-bounds pass for an open look. The opposing Desert Chapel Eagles realize it and appear to be almost cheering on Howell themselves. ...

Unfortunately, Howell misses both attempts, but there's still 40 seconds left on the clock, and Desert Chapel realizes that, too. So the Eagles call a timeout to set up one of the classiest moves you'll ever see.

That's when things get a little emotional, as Desert Chapel inbounded the ball and literally handed it to Howell, with the inspiring kid sinking a bucket with about 20 seconds left on the clock.

The win for Desert Chapel was nice and all, but that moment is one that no one in that arena will ever forget—and it came because the losing squad swallowed its pride to allow it to happen.

5. High School Runner Carries Opponent Across Finish Line

Over the years, we've seen a few instances of athletes lending a hand or shoulder to an injured opponent, and the one that occurred during a North Dakota cross-country race in 2014 got a lot of attention.

After Fargo South High runner Danielle LeNoue felt a pop in her knee steps from the finish line that sent her to the ground, Devils Lake High runner Melanie Bailey stopped, scooped up LeNoue and helped carry her to complete the race.

It was the final race of the season, so it made it even more memorable.

4. Red Sox Pitcher Sends Bottle Of Liquor To Batter He Beaned 

Occurring just last week, this is one of the most unique things I've ever heard a pitcher doing for a batter he plunked during a baseball game.

With the Toronto Blue Jays' Chris Colabello at the plate, Boston Red Sox hurler Steven Wright lost control of a pitch and beaned Colabello in the helmet—which is always a cause for concern.

While the Toronto player ended up being OK, Wright couldn't help but check on him between innings and, after the game, even sent Colabello a bottle of liquor to apologize for the incident.

Per Ken Powtak of the Associated Press (h/t For The Win):

“Steven decided that he was going to send over a gift,” Colabello said, moving his clothes and uniform out of the way to show a large bottle of liquor sitting underneath.

“He didn’t have to,” he said Monday as he was getting ready for the annual Patriots’ Day game. “I’m sure that’s not cheap, too.”…

Colabello said the act of a pitcher sending a gift to a player after hitting him “happens more than people know. You build relationships with people.”

Like I said earlier, the move was certainly a unique way of showing sportsmanship.

3. Softball Players Carry Injured Opponent Around Bases

Assuming you have a soul, this one brings all the feels.

In a 2014 college softball game between Eckerd College and Florida Southern College, Eckerd's Kara Oberer hit a three-run home run off of Florida Southern senior pitcher Chelsea Oglevie—which would turn out being her last pitch of her college career.

As Oberer rounded the bases, though, her knee buckled and she was in agony.

That's when Oglevie and a teammate stepped in, literally carrying Kara Oberer from second base to home plate to complete the round-tripper.

So awesome.

2. The Turkish Soccer Team That Leveled The Playing Field By Allowing The Opponents To Score

I really wish I could have found video for this one, because, even just writing it out, it's pretty remarkable.

During a Turkish League game last year, Kasimpasa midfielder Ryan Donk scored a goal to put his team ahead during its match with Konyaspor. Problem was, it came while a Konyaspor player was injured and lying on the turf.

Whether feeling guilty or because he's just a nice guy, Kasimpasa manager Shota Arveladze actually instructed his team to allow their opponent to score an equalizing goal.

Sure, allowing the other team to tie the match ended up biting Arveladze in the butt—the team lost 2-1 and he resigned shortly after the instruction—but the gesture was one that nearly 99 percent of coaches would have never even thought about doing.

1. Opposing Teams Giving Retirement Gifts To Superstars

In normal life, sending a retirement gift to someone is the proper way to congratulate them on a job well done over their career, wishing them nothing but the best in whatever lies ahead.

And, in sports, opposing teams have gotten in on the act, too, presenting gifts to players who have announced their intentions to call it quits ahead of their final season, allowing fans and other teams to pay tribute to him or her.

As you might already know, the gifts are, well, interesting.

There have been some that are real head-scratchers, but others that are thoughtful and clever—like the Minnesota Twins giving former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera a rocking chair made of shattered bats to signify how many pieces of wood Mo sawed off.

Always amusing and a sign of respect, when a team gives another player a gift, it's fun for everyone.