The RECORD Online

Summer 2000

Building Character Through Athletics

When the NCAA recently announced national academic honors, I was delighted. You can be sure it was mostly because Greenville College’s men’s cross-country team topped the list. Elsewhere in this issue, you’ve been able to read about the hard work of Coach Brian Patton and his staff in not only growing the team in quantity but in recruiting top quality scholars as well.

These achievements not only illustrate the “can-do” effort for which GC is becoming known these days, but also the attention to balance and whole-person education for which GC has always been known. Hats off to Coach Patton, his scholar athletes, and all the other GC coaches who do such a great job in recruiting for quantity and quality.

I must say there was an added element of personal glee for me in the NCAA list; GC beat out both of my alma maters, also listed on the top ten, Washington University (St. Louis) and MIT!

Many of you have heard me speak or have read my writings on the liberal arts, so you may ask: How do athletes fit into the GC mission to be an institution dedicated to transitioning students for lives of character and service through a Christ-centered education in the liberating arts and sciences?

My answer may surprise you. But first let me confess to being athletically challenged. My basketball career ended in the eighth grade with a basket at the wrong end of the court. My soccer career ended with a goal at the wrong end of the field. I bear self-inflicted scars from my own spikes that explain my modest success as a sprinter and hurdler, and my time on the college freshmen intercollegiate rowing team recalls mostly memories of severe pain.

But as I have read and researched the elements needed to shape an education for character, I’ve been surprised by both the theoretical and empirical evidence that involvement in athletics is of significant benefit. On the empirical side, my old experimental physicist self was taken by the studies (“An Empirical Case for the Liberal Arts,” David Winter) indicating that one campus activity stands out as promoting significant development of those traits of character related to leadership: participation in varsity sports.

The theoretical arguments are even more appealing, this time to my old philosophy side. As I have recently described an education that “goes beyond” [in The Record, Spring 2000; and in the new book from Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Christian Liberal Arts: An Education That Goes Beyond], the formation of character is significantly enhanced by the elements in the curriculum and co-curriculum that take students out of their comfort zones, but do so in the context of a supportive, nurturing environment. That is what we strive for constantly at Greenville College in every aspect of what we do.

This combination of stretching and support as the keys to growth makes sense when we think of physical development. Every athlete and every coach knows we must push ourselves and those in our charge if we are to grow. Without it we grow flabby. But we also know that too much will tear muscles and leave scars. The key for athlete and coach is to balance the two.

What we often overlook is that this lesson from athletics also applies to intellectual, moral, and even spiritual development. Every faculty member, every student, and every member of staff must strive to push ourselves and those in our charge out of our comfort zones, but always in a context of nurture and care. What a great challenge, but what a wonderful opportunity as we seek to educate and be educated for character.

As I told Coach Rob Harley’s football squad last August, I believe that by making this connection and building on their experience in sport, GC athletes can be the most effective ambassadors for character education on our campus.

Again, hats off to Coach Patton and his teams. Pray for them and for all 1,000 of our student “athletes” and 250 faculty/staff “coaches” in this high calling.

Last updated: September 22, 2000