Sports & After-School Programs

Sports and after-school programs are opportunities for character development.

Whether young people are on a tennis team or a robotics team, their coaches have a responsibility to foster and model character. And not just performance character (such as grit and resilience). All sports coaches and adults involved in after-school programs also need to reinforce the core values as honesty, gratitude, and service to others.

Coaches Develop Character

Chris Moore, President of Positive Coaching Alliance, interviewed former NFL player and coach Herm Edwards about the relationship between sports and character at the 2021 Character.org Forum. Watch the clip.

Herm Edwards is the head football coach at Arizona State University. Prior to his role at ASU, he was an ESPN analyst and head coach for the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. Originally an athlete himself, Edwards played cornerback for ten seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and Atlanta Falcons.

Interested in learning more?

Here are some organizations that can help you get started:

InsideOut Initiative

Empowers school communities to implement purpose-based athletics.

Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy

Provides student-athletes with opportunities to receive best-in-class leadership training that focuses on character, personal values, and effective communication.

Character Development and Leadership

Teaches student-athletes the importance of character, leadership and sportsmanship.

WON80

A grassroots movement with a mission to spread the importance of positive sportsmanship.

Positive Coaching Alliance

Offers resources to help coaches create a more inclusive experience for all athletes.

Commitment

Parents need to commit to model and reinforce to their children the core values and character strengths that mean the most to them. They also need to be creative and offer meaningful experiences that illuminate how important these character strengths are to the family’s core values.

Conversations

We know “We need to talk” freaks kids out, but too often parents avoid having conversations about character, especially as children get older. While it may not be easy to talk sometimes, we know from the research that parents who avoid talking to their children about serious matters quickly lose trust and connection.

Celebration

Parents need to find ways for their children to be active participants in their own character growth. Optimal character development occurs when children begin to make self-motivated commitments to consistently practice a core value (e.g. “I want to be the kind of person who is always honest and shows up on time.”) Parents need to celebrate these moments to shape and define individual character.