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I skipped a volleyball opponent's handshake after a personal taunt. Should I apologise without dropping the complaint?

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At the net, I walked past the player who had spent the last set telling me I was only on the team because I organised the rides. I shook hands with the others. Our captain noticed and said, "That made all of us look bad."

The opponent called it a joke when I objected during the game. I played on and didn't raise it with the official. By the handshake line I wanted to show that I wasn't happy to laugh it off.

Now I wonder whether refusing the handshake communicated anything beyond my own anger. A teammate offered to mention the remark to the organiser, but the captain says an apology should come first.

Would you acknowledge the skipped handshake while still reporting the specific taunt, or does that turn one sour exchange into too much process? I don't want the team to have to defend my reaction. I also don't want "sportsmanship" to mean I'm the only person asked to change.

Discussion

2 community replies

The skipped handshake was a visible signal, but it may not have carried the explanation you intended. Someone who didn't hear the taunt saw only the refusal. You can acknowledge that consequence while telling the organiser exactly what was said; those two accounts don't cancel each other out.

An apology could stay narrow: "I was angry and handled the end of the match poorly." You don't need to add that the remark was funny, harmless, or deserved. Avoid an apology whose main purpose is to make everyone else withdraw the concern before they'll accept it.

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