There’s a lot to be said for good sportsmanship.

That’s why the story about Pepsi helping the FBI catch a top Coca-Cola secretary and two accomplices is such a good one for kids to hear.

Being a good sport &045; whether the competition is on the field or in the office &045;&160;is important in life.

The suspects arrested Wednesday include a Coke executive’s administrative assistant, Joya Williams, who is accused of rifling through corporate files and stuffing documents and a new Coca-Cola product into a personal bag.

Williams, 41, of Norcross, Ga., and 30-year-old Ibrahim Dimson of New York and 43-year-old Edmund Duhaney of Decatur, Ga., were charged with wire fraud and unlawfully stealing and selling Coke trade secrets, federal prosecutors said.

In other words, they wanted to give information on Coke’s latest products to Pepsi, and they wanted to hand over some corporate files. Pepsi immediately called its corporate rival Coke. Together they worked with the FBI, and just when the subjects of the sting operation thought they would receive $1.5 million, they were arrested.

&8220;Competition can sometimes be fierce, but also must be fair and legal,&8221; Pepsi spokesman Dave DeCecco said. &8220;We’re pleased the authorities and the FBI have identified the people responsible for this.&8221;

By the way, the formula for Coca-Cola pop wasn’t stolen in the theft, but we can’t help wonder what Pepsi or anyone else would gain from learning it: Make Coke and put global giant Coca-Cola Co. out of business? We doubt Coke would break a sweat.