You play the game to win.
Yes, that's the objective of most games.
But how we 'play to win' becomes so very important.
So while you play, play in a way so that you get better at playing the game.
You want to push yourself because that's how you get better, so you need 'competition' to push yourself.
You need the risk of loss.
But here's an even better way of thinking about it....you play the game so you don't only get better at the game, but that you get better at the entire set of games (life).
And that's what you do when you are a 'good sport'.
You want to be pushed so that you will make the effort necessary to remove what's useless about yourself and to help foster the growth of what's useful.
And if you do that, then you get the joy of participating in the game towards victory, but the extra joy of building yourself more and more strongly at the same time.
Life is not a game. It's a series of games, a series of diverse games.
So,
Play nobly.
Pay attention to your team-mates.
Respect your opponent(s)..
Pass the damn puck (ice-hockey) so they get a chance to score.
Even if you are the best player on the team, help your team-mates develop.
Don't grandstand.
If you have the opportunity to beat your opponent 20 to 1 in goals, maybe after you are up 7-1, back off a bit.
You don't have to humiliate your opponent.
(From Jordan Peterson - Rule number 1 ' Stand up straight with your shoulders back')