Do sports build character? An anthropologist and a sociologist explore the underpinnings of school sports and examine the evidence to support the prevailing assumption that sport is an ennobling experience. They find that participation has little effect on positive character development. Far from building model citizens, their research shows that competitive team sports may foster selfish motives and antisocial behavior. Rather than learning self-sacrifice and dedication, athletes often pick up the message that "winning isn't everything - it's the only thing."
Andrew W. Miracle Jr. was dean of the College of Health and Urban Affairs and professor of public health at Florida International University. He was the author (with T.S. Miracle) of
Human Sexuality: Understanding Your Basic Needs and the editor (with A.O. Dunleavy and C.R. Rees) of
Studies in the Sociology of Sport;
Bilingualism: Social Issues and Policy Implications; (with Rees) of
Sport and Social Theory; and (with D.N. Suggs) of
Culture and Human Sexuality. C. Roger Rees is professor emeritus of health and sports sciences at Adelphi University. He is the editor (with A.O. Dunleavy and A.W. Miracle) of Studies in the Sociology of Sport; (with Miracle) of Sport and Social Theory; and (with G.T. Barrette and R.S. Feingold) of Sport Pedagogy: Myths, Models, and Methods.