Opinion : A lesson in sportsmanship, and life

Packer Charles Woodson congratulates Hakim Nicks for a TD Nicks scored by beating Woodson on a play.

You don't have to be a Green Bay Packer fan, or even a follower of football, to appreciate what happened on Sunday between Packer Charles Woodson and New York Giant Hakeem Nicks.

In one of the closest games of the season, Nicks, a Giants receiver, jumped high in the air to catch a pass from Eli Manning, with Woodson, also airborne, holding on to him and trying to knock the ball away.

Woodson made a great play, but Nicks made an even better one, and came down with a touchdown pass. As his teammates gathered around him, congratulating him, Woodson also walked by. The beaten cornerback extended his hand, inviting Nicks to accept his congratulations for the great play via a "fist-bump." Nicks obliged him. Cameras clicked; television commentators also noticed.

The exchange lasted less than a second, but its impact should go down in history.

That photo should be on the front page of every sports edition in Monday's papers. It was a class act by a player in a sport where too often, the less than classy actions of athletes make the news.

The Packers held on to win the game, with a last-second field goal.

But Woodson's small gesture made to express respect and admiration for a good play -- especially a play which happened at his expense -- should be part of the lessons taught by every football coach at every level.

Football's a tough, intense, emotional game. But Woodson showed an entire nation how that even in the middle of the most intense action, it's possible to be gracias -- and downright cool -- when the going is the toughest.

At the same time that Woodson and Packers were on TV, another channel's newscast was focusing on an NFL player --Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions -- for dirty plays that got him suspended for a couple of games. It's appropriate for newscasts to focus on such players, but guys like Woodson also deserve headlines for class acts, both on and off the field.

It's possible, as Woodson showed us, for anyone who performs on television in front of an audience numbered in the millions.

And also, for all of us who don't.

By graciously acknowledging the success of his opponent, Woodson has shown the way for the rest of us -- whether our "contest" is about politics or religion or work or any other situation where we have some kind of competition, argument, conflict or opposition -- do deal with the people who are, or seem to be, on the other side.