Why Character Matters in Sports
Dear Friends,
I’m pleased to invite you to the Center for Christian Faith & Culture’s first lecture of 2025 academic year. Prof. Sabrina Little, author of The Examined Run: Why Good People Make Better Runner, will be presenting on Why Character Matters in Sports. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is appreciated.
Why Character Matters in Sports
Prof. Sabrina Little
October 14, 2025
Malone University Johnson Center 106, 7:00 pm
Why Character Matters in Sports
Athletics is not neutral with respect to character. First, virtues and vices impact how athletes perform (e.g., patience dictates racing tactics in running. The ability to take shots on the basket at the appropriate time in basketball requires patience also. Envy impacts team dynamics. etc.) Second, certain virtues (e.g., honesty, integrity) maintain the structure of games. For example, cheating undermines the terms of the sport for everyone. Third, character matters because sports are formative (they shape us). If we care about who we are outside of sport, then we need to pay attention to the ways in which sports impact character development.
Sabrina Little is an assistant professor in the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at Ohio State University. She completed her PhD in Philosophy at Baylor University in 2020. Before Baylor, she studied Philosophy of Religion at Yale Divinity School and Philosophy and Psychology at The College of William & Mary. Her main areas of interest are virtue ethics, moral psychology, and classical philosophy. Her first book, The Examined Run (OUP) was released in March 2024.
Prof. Little also ran professionally for seven years. She held two American distance running records, was a World Championships silver medalist, and was selected to represent the United States on five national teams.
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