Do Sports Build Character?
The discussion that follows this question has always fascinated to me.
The answer always seemed obvious to me. Of course, sport builds character. Sports lead to people who work hard and can work in teams, right? I had the mindset that sports always led to positive character traits. Playing sports made me who I am today. However after time reflecting, reading, and learning more about sport, the answer is not as clear as it once was.
Sport has the potential to have negative character outcomes in people. Sport can create individuals who will cheat to win, behave unsportsmanlike, rely on natural talent to get by, and be overly emotional or angry. Some athletes leave sport hating their experience. They feel bitter towards their coach or teammates. They may dislike it to the point they keep their children from playing sport.
There are athletes who leave sport with neither the positives nor the negatives. Sport was just another activity their parents wanted them to do. They don’t feel one way or the other about their time participating.
How is it possible for all of these different outcomes to happen if sport builds character? Building positive character in athletes does not happen by accident. It requires intentional work on behalf of the athlete, coach, and athletic organization.
Athletic Skill
Athletes, coaches, and youth sport organizations want the similar goal of improving athletic skill within athletes. However, the motivation behind this goal can be very different. Athletes may be looking to try something new or chasing a scholarship in their sport. Coaches may have a passion for teaching or only care about their win/loss record. Youth sport organizations may truly care about using sport as method to help young people grow or they can be motivated by the bottom line, quickly cycling more and more kids through their programs.
Greater athletic skills lead to more wins which leads to greater opportunities for athletes, coaches, and organizations. However, in the process of creating great athletic skills, athlete character can suffer. Pushing athletes to improve and win at all cost develops athletes who are willing to cheat, act poorly to their teammates, or even make dangerous plays to intentionally hurt others. All of which is detrimental to the long-term character development of athletes.
The motivation behind the athletic skill development is where character development can get lost. The goals of the athlete, coach, or sport organization may not value or include time and effort necessary for developing character.
Character development
Positive character development does not inherently occur just because the athlete is competing in sport. Coaches and leaders need to take the time to teach and encourage athletes to develop positive character. As with athletic skill, positive character can be taught and it needs to be practiced more than just once. A coach wouldn’t have a team run a play once and assume they will be able to do it in this week’s game. The same goes for character development. It must be talked about and practiced in every opportunity available.
For coaches and organizations to properly develop character in their athletes, they must understand what they value. Using personal or group values creates a standard of how to work with athletes and what is acceptable under their leadership. If well-rounded athletes is within their core values, then they will understand that character development needs to be a daily endeavor for coaches and athletic organizational leaders.
Why not both?
It comes down to leadership and coaching. The quality of a child’s experience playing sport cannot supersede the quality of the coaching or surrounding leadership examples. You cannot expect a child to display more positive behaviors than an adult who has never demonstrated those actions. Athletes learn from watching others, asking questions, and experience. Coaches and leaders have the responsibility of demonstrating positive athletic development and positive character development.
Coaches do not have to separate the two, in fact lessons may reach the athletes better with the two combined.
For example, in a volleyball practice drill where an athlete attempts to make a diving play but ends up slipping and missing the ball. A teammate goes helps her up and tells her to shake it off and that she will get the next one. The coach can encourage more of this type of positive behavior by giving praise or a pat on the back. The coach can even discuss it at the end of practice talking about the positive interactions teammates had during practice. This small step teaches athletes to value teamwork, helping, and supporting each other. The recognition also motivated athletes to behave in supportive ways to their teammates.
Coaches who understand the positive character traits they want in their team and culture, the better they are at noticing, encouraging, and maintaining it.
What can you do?
Intentionally seek out coaches and organizations that match your values. Most, if not all, organizations have some type of mission statement or list of core values. If you’re dedicated on sport building both skill and character then it’s easy to take the time to do a little bit of research on different organizations. All good coaches have a coaching philosophy. Decide if their philosophy, core values, and mission statement align with what you want for yourself or your athlete. Many coaches and organizations post on social media, check out their pages for more information on they work with athletes.
Take it a step further and ask how the coach and organization put those values into practice. It’s one thing to talk to the talk and a whole other to walk to the walk. If you’re unable to get a satisfactory answer then it may not be the organization or team for you and your athlete. Coaches and sport organizations can also benefit from bringing in a mental performance coach to assist them in concrete steps to live out their mission, value, and goals.
Sports do not equal character
Sport offers countless benefits when done right. All people at any age can experience the rewards of participating in sport. However, sport does not guarantee positive character in athletes. To ensure that you and your athlete get the benefits by finding leaders who put character development into practice.
Thanks for reading! I am a Certified Mental Performance Coach. I currently have a few select spots open for coaching. Set up a free 15 minute phone consultation with me by sending me a message here!
