Developing Character through Sport/Athletic Participation
Submitted by: Kent M. Farley, Candidate for Master’s Degree, USSA
“Sport develops character.” This statement is heralded as a positive purpose of
athletic participation in sports programs on all levels. This is contrasted by daily
media reports of grave misconduct at every level of athletics. Numerous studies
have been conducted to answer the question: “Does sport build character?” No
specific consensus has been drawn by these studies, but they have generated a
great deal of debate.
Can sports participation result in positive outcomes in character development? Can
the sport environment be modified or controlled to optimize positive outcomes?
Character development is more than simply developing specific positive personal
qualities. It needs to be holistic and synergistic. A person of character possesses
positive qualities which can be applied appropriately to decisions and effective
outcomes. Brown (2003, p.39) defines the process as “this is what we believe, so
therefore, this is what we will do, and this is what will be seen.”
What kind of an environment is effective in developing character? Is there an
opportunity/ability to make choices? Are these choices threaded with
accountability - defined as agency? Are there consequences associated with
agency? Does there exist a way by which a person/s can reflect/assess use of
agency in the context of time and inherent consequences. Is there a means by
which choices can be modified and/or corrected? Is the need for tension created
between positive and negative choices present, and the potential of choices of
good/better/best?
These possibilities exist within the sport environment. Often, the sport
environment is viewed as unreal - as just a game. As Tod & Hodge (2001, p.309)
state, “athletes’ perceive sport as different from real life.” Yet sports participation
surpasses reading, discussions, and role playing environments because it is
“experienced”, and sport provides spontaneity - situations are unplanned,
unforeseen, and unique. Responses are based on the application of concepts, and
accountability becomes real, mirroring the agency found in real life. Sports
participation is valued because it mirrors real life in that psychological states are
attached.
Sport provides ethos and context (Jones & McNamee, 2000). The pursuit of sport
may well be unique in that the activity itself provides a logical connection to
morality, and the opportunity to reveal/produce numerous desirable qualities
(Arnold 1994). Sports participation can reveal a person’s positive/negative
character traits. Sports can establish perceptions about what character is, and it can
contrast virtuous behavior with non-virtuous behavior.
Axiology defines three dimensions of value: the highest being intrinsic - individual
uniqueness; the second highest being extrinsic - comparison such as
good/better/best; and third highest being systemic - fairness (Clear Direction, Inc.,
2001). Athletics has the intrinsic value of being fun, the extrinsic value of
competition/comparison, and the systemic value of rules/fairness.
Often, tension and imbalance exist between the dimensions (Clear Direction, Inc.,
2001). This means an athlete may love to win, but have an obligation to play by the
rules. A player may enjoy playing the game, but to continue to play at higher levels
must train and gain self-mastery. An athlete may desire to win so badly that he/she
finds ways to cheat.
A further application is that richness/balance can be applied to life (Clear
Direction, Inc., 2001). Possibilities exist for developing character through steady
improvement in all three value dimensions and by maintaining balance, individuals
and society can gain greater richness. If a person can achieve greater value in one
dimension and maintain balance, then the value gained may transfer to the other
dimensions. An example is Coach John Wooden. He worked daily on his Pyramid
of Success, which incorporates all the value dimensions to establish balance. Due
to this lifetime of effort/progress, his life has greater intrinsic value/individual
uniqueness, greater extrinsic value through numerous accomplishments, and
greater systemic value through fairness and honesty. Because he has maintained
balance within the dimensions, his influence continues. An upward spiral in the
attainment of character is gained through this process.
As the level of play becomes more elite, tension in the extrinsic dimension
increases, with focus being on winning and self-improvement. Studies often show
conflicting results about character development via sports participation, including
positive moral and social character for youth participants (Fullinwider, 2006).
Other studies show increases in social character and declines in moral character at
more elite levels of sports participation (Stoll& Others, 1995; Rudd & Stoll, 2004).
These studies seem to conflict, but an axiology application would be that through
sports participation, initially, an athlete gains experiences in her/his uniqueness
(intrinsic), gains comparison experiences (extrinsic), and gains experiences in a
system of rules/fair play (systemic). These values may be skewed as the level of
play becomes more elite through the loss of value hierarchy and balance. Chandler
& Goldberg (1990) expressed this in the idea of the zero-sum viewpoint, where
winning means everything and losing has no value - “zero-sum viewpoint provides
individuals with a limited and fragile base on which to formulate a personal
identity and sense of personal worth.”
Refinement through practicing the proper focus, which can shift from one
value/concentration dimension to another, is the essence of developing character.
Character is the application of personal qualities and principles within the
appropriate level of focus cognitively, emotionally, and with the appropriate use of
a value-applied system. Character development is the practice of getting it right.
Sport teaches the value of practice and personal development besides providing a
pseudo-environment, allowing for correction and modification within the bounds
of “real life”. Choices are easier through proper concentration and practice.
“That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of
the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased.” -Emerson
