Organizational Factors that Contribute to the Spiritual Development of College Athletes: A Case Study of a Religious University

Abstract

Although the concept of college athlete development has received ample attention within the literature, limited attention has been paid specifically to the spiritual development of these athletes. More specifically, little attention has been paid to how organizational contexts might impact the spiritual development of athletes. Using qualitative research methods, we interviewed university and athletic department leaders (i.e., head coaches, university administrators, athletics administrators, faculty members) and analyzed relevant documents of one religiously affiliated university within the United States in efforts to glean insight into some important factors that contribute to the spiritual development among their athletes. The findings indicated that the mission and the culture of the university established a foundation and helped set the tone for how these leaders thought about and engaged in certain practices aimed at fostering the spiritual development of the athletes at the university. In particular, because the spiritual development of athletes was a major aspect of these leaders’ job expectations there was a great devotion of time and monetary resources to this endeavor. Further implications of these findings and opportunities for future research are discussed.

Keywords:

• Spirituality
• Religion
• Athlete Development
• Spiritual Development
• Religious Development

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Calvin Nite

Dr. Calvin Nite is an assistant professor of sport management within the Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences at Texas Tech University. His research focuses on various management issues within college athletic departments.

John N. Singer

Dr. John N. Singer is an associate professor of sport management (Department of Health and Kinesiology) at Texas A&M University. He earned his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and his M.A. and B.A. degrees from Michigan State University. His research focuses primarily on critical race issues in sport contexts.