Do Sports Build Character?

I was raised on a strict diet of organized sports: soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring and tennis in the summer. I played three sports in high school and I chose a smaller college specifically so I could play two. To this day, my coaches and teammates remain some of my closest friends.

I was never great; in fact I was barely even good. At best I was a solid contributor and I usually sat the bench for two or three years before starting. And though I never achieved fame or fortune, I consider all those hours fielding grounders, shooting baskets and hitting backhands as time well spent.

I have always believed that athletics helped make me who I am and for that reason, I am always looking for ways to get my fourth grade students involved in sports. I am forever telling parents of undisciplined, unmotivated children "Get your child involved in sports. You'll see a difference." Athletics build character and teach hard work, discipline and teamwork. Don't they?

But if that's true, shouldn't those who excel at athletics be of exceptional character as well? If sports truly build character, then shouldn't someone whose life has revolved around sport be the perfect example? And yet there seems to be no connection between athlete and character.

So you think sports teach hard work? Need I list the professional athletes who skip practice and show up late for games? What about teamwork and unselfish play? It seems almost laughable in the context of today's "Look at Me" superstars like Allen Iverson and Terrell Owens. And as for the argument that sports allow a suitable arena for releasing one's aggression, we have only to look at Todd Bertuzzi's attack of Steve Moore or the incident between Pedro Martinez and Don Zimmer in last year's baseball playoffs.

And then there are athletes like Kobe and Pete Rose who excel at every aspect of their game, both mental and physical, and yet make disastrous mistakes in their personal lives. (Regardless of the upcoming verdict, Kobe was still unfaithful to his wife.) What is the use of being hardworking, unselfish and honest if it doesn't extend beyond the playing field?

Don't misunderstand. I am not lamenting the scarcity of professional athlete role models. There are many. My class has studied the work ethic of Cal Ripken Jr. and the modesty of Tim Duncan. We've written letters to Andre Agassi (who recently started his own school) and we've studied history by looking at the accomplishments of Lou Gehrig and Mohammad Ali. These and many more have provided my children with excellent examples.

But what role did sports play? Take the basketball away from David Robinson and he's still David Robinson. Would he have been any less of a role model without professional basketball?

Yes, sports keep my students off the streets. That's no small matter. But so do after school tutoring programs, theater, art, music and a thousand other programs. I always thought organized sports were different. I thought athletics helped children grow in a way that the violin just couldn't. But some of these athletes have forced me to take another look. Was I wrong?