ABSTRACT
This concept is something many individuals believe to be true, because it has long been accepted that sport enhances the development of individuals’ work ethic, teamwork, and persistence. Although this is true in many instances, many examples exist where athletes’ behaviors on and off the playing field support a forceful argument that sport impedes the development of good character. Still, taxpayers more often than not support school athletics programs because of the prevailing notion that sport competition builds character. Taxpayers accept the sport-character relationship because it has always been stated as fact or because they intuitively believe that it is so, even though some evidence contradicts the concept.
