The purposes of this study are three-folds; those are, first of all, to compare the idea of team spirit in sport with Japanese Groupism in sport. Secondly, to make the idea of sportsmanship clear taking the interpretative difference of this into consideration which was formed in the mid-19th century public school, and lastly, to make the points of problem clear when we Japanese interpret the English idea of sportsmanship in Japanese context.
This study also advocates that in the mid-19th century sportsmanship evolved from Christian mentality. Therefore sportsmanship or “playing fair” developed from the Christian belief that a man should be honest or “be fair” toward others. The results are as follows:
1) The meaning of sportsmanship, formed in the mid-19th century in England meant “To be a sportsman”. However, in Japan sportsmanship is interpreted as “The sports spirit” and has taken root “to be a moral behavior of sportsman in games”.
2) The idea of team spirit guarantees individual freedom, self-independence, at the same time it means voluntary, subjective loyalty or self-sacrifice to the leader who is loyal to Christianity. This idea clearly differs from Japanese “Groupism” which controls individual freedom, equality and furthermore, would like to make a man pledge to the group and suppresses his personality.
3) The problems arise when Japanese people interpret the idea of sportsmanship. We directly adopt the term formed in England without any regard to the mentality of Christianity. Moreover, in Japan sportsmanship has been connected with Japanese ethos.