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Doug Ellison
Graduate Student, School of Sport Sciences, Wingate University
2/1/09

The Role of Character in Overcoming Violence in Sports

Legendary Coach John Wooden was once quoted as saying; "Sports do not build character, they reveal it." According to Coach Wooden, character is what you really are. It is how you react to things sensibly, without getting carried away by yourself or your circumstances. He believed that if his players did not have character when they came to him, he could not give it to them. By then it was too late. He believed character building started at home with parents and family. With American society today, instilling excellent character in our children is not always easy or desired by parents. Some athletes that are constantly in the media for violence and fighting are a direct product of this relaxed upbringing. Are all violent acts directly caused by parental influences or are some related to society in general?

Violence in sports is an important and highly publicized topic. Violence in sport can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and their participation in warrior-like sports such as wrestling, boxing, and chariot racing. When athletes accept sport as a means to prove their self-worth and shape their identities as an athlete and person, a severe disconnect can occur that leads to violent unacceptable acts. Using violence as a tool has been linked to the need to reaffirm a form of masculinity that puts an emphasis on risking personal safety and a desire to intimidate others. When this belief becomes natural to an athlete, participation in sports can intensify this behavior and lead to violent acts in society. This belief becomes intensified when added to many of the influences facing today’s athletes.

The landscape of influences have changed drastically from when John Wooden was leading UCLA through its record breaking streak of National Championships in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Influences include the highly debated increase in the importance of youth sports at an early age, the impact of Title IX, media and twenty-four hour sports channels, politics, and athletes’ inflated financial contracts. Sports have become a way to measure individual as well as societal status among athletes, businesses, and fans.

As the pressures continue to grow in the world of athletics we should all take the time to learn the true meaning of character and sportsmanship from special acts like that of Central Washington softball players Liz Wallace and Mallory Holtman. During the second inning against Western Oregon these young women showed the ultimate act of sportsmanship by carrying opponent Sara Tucholsky around the bases after she tore a ligament in her knee at first base. Surrounded by violence and questionable character, those athletes embodied what John Wooden meant when he said, “sports do not build character, they reveal it.” Hopefully this heroic deed shed light on the world of sports encouraging athletes to think twice before they make the hot-headed decision to strike out at or fight with an opponent.