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In 1989, Dan Doyle, Founder of National Sportsmanship Day, approached Senator John Chafee (R-RI) and Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI) regarding the creation of a National Sportsmanship Day. Both Senators - true statesmen - provided tremendous support to Mr. Doyle in his efforts to create National Sportsmanship Day. Barry Sklar, a member of Senator Pell's staff, devoted countless hours in assisting Mr. Doyle with a 1989/90 research project on the state of sportsmanship in American schools. The result of the efforts of Senators Chafee and Pell and Mr. Sklar, resulted in widespread Congressional support for the creation of a National Sportsmanship Day.

On March 6, 2007, the late Senators Pell and Chafee, and the late Mr. Sklar were honored as Sports Ethics Fellows for their vital contributions to the success of National Sportsmanship Day. For more information on what these three gentlemen meant to the creation and success of National Sportsmanship Day, click on "History of National Sportsmanship Day" on this website.



"This new program will have an enormous impact on the state of fair play in American society. Since Dan Doyle approached Senator Pell and me with this splendid idea several months ago, our staff members, led by Barry Sklar of Senator Pell's office, have worked with Dan to research the level of sportsmanship programming currently present in American schools. We were surprised to find that virtually no such formal programming exists in schools throughout the United States. I predict that one of the many benefits of National Sportsmanship Day will be to raise the awareness of sportsmanship and ethical practices among millions of young people, coaches and parents. I am very excited about what this program will do, both on its own, and as a vehicle to encourage schools to create their own sportsmanship programs."
- Senator John Chafee at a 1990 Washington, DC press conference to announce the creation of National Sportsmanship Day.

Senator Chafee's words proved prophetic. National Sportsmanship Day has become what many consider to be the largest sportsmanship initiative in the United States, if not the world. On March 2, students, coaches, students, administrators and parents representing over 13,500 schools throughout the United States, and in many other countries, will actively participate in NSD. Since the inaugural NSD, the Institute for International Sport estimates that over 80 million individuals have actively participated in the Day. Moreover, and as Senator Chaffee predicted, National Sportsmanship Day is credited by many as the singularly most important spur in causing thousands of schools and leagues to create sportsmanship programs.