Sabrina Little, Christopher Newport University – Character and Athletic Performance

Athletes are known for their physical prowess, but their morals may also aid in performance.

Sabrina Little, assistant professor in the department of leadership and American studies at Christopher Newport University, explains why.

Sabrina Little is an assistant professor in the Department of Leadership and American Studies at Christopher Newport University. She earned her doctorate in Philosophy from Baylor University. Sabrina’s research is in character education, virtue theory, and moral psychology. Her recent book, The Examined Run (Oxford University Press 2024), explores how to use running as a laboratory for virtue formation.

Character and Athletic Performance

A popular topic in sports is the maximization of performance. Athletes wonder how they can get the most out of themselves to compete well when it really matters. To do so, runners can emulate the best athletes in the sport, mimicking their workouts and training routines. They can prioritize rest, fine-tune speed work, and improve the quality and timing of their nutrition. Athletes can buy the best gear, featuring new technologies, and wear special carbon-plated shoes and aerodynamic kits.

For the invested athlete and for dedicated coaches no expense is spared to find an edge. Yet, oddly, I have never heard anyone describe moral character in performance-enhancing terms, and character makes a significant difference in how we perform. For example, an athlete has a competitive advantage because of her unsquelchable joy in the face of difficulty. Another athlete is thankful. His gratitude for friends and competitors crowds out agitation in stressful situations. Gratitude provides him with the motivation to continue when conditions are challenging. It gives him an edge over the competition. 

Many virtues support performance. Patience means we can wait with excellence. Perseverance means we can outlast competitors, remaining committed to some good end. And courage permits us to face risks with suitable fear, neither imperiling our safety nor avoiding challenges altogether. In many cases, these character traits have a much greater impact on performance than nutrition or shoes.

Certainly, there are other reasons to care about character. Having a good character means we won’t get in our own way. It means we add value to the world and can be there for our friends. Being virtuous means being excellent. This makes your life a good one.

But it’s worth mentioning that virtues also make us better athletes. Building character should be part of the process of training for sports.