Abstract
How do you stretch the boundaries of self by playing inside the lines? In Youth Sport and Spirituality: Catholic Perspectives, Patrick Kelly provides an engaging edited text that shifts the paradigms by which we evaluate sport and faith through a carefully designed exploration of our individual beliefs and socially held values. Employing a diverse yet synergetic body of theories, supported by effective evidence-based practice, Kelly’s work provides overwhelming support for the heights of holistic development that can be achieved through sport. When administrators, parents, and youth recognize that the game is about transcending self-imposed boundaries through discipline of staying within the bounds of true competition and the mutual quest for excellence, sport offers tremendous possibilities.
Kelly achieves his goal of encouraging the reader to “think through their own positions on the topics under consideration” (p. 8) by providing thought-provoking examples from various sociohistorical contexts that work seamlessly to support the premise of the text yet make room for further exploration of the field and of one’s self. The first section of the text introduces the reader to the different theoretical perspectives undergirding the discussion of sport’s role in promoting spirituality and how spirituality can foster more beneficial sporting experiences as eloquently illustrated by the words of Paul in I Corinthians 9:24: “'Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.' Athletes exercise self-control in all things [italics added]” (p. 39).
Asceticism is necessary in recognizing success as a process of continually disciplining one’s self to be fully engaged (mind, body, and soul) in the development of one’s faith and athletic ability. Community is also a key factor in understanding one’s faith and competing well in sport as it is the “fragility of success and the inevitability of failure” (p. 174) that create bonds within teams and between the quest for excellence of athletes and the spiritual journey of the everyday person. What is most liberating about this first section is its deconstruction of the concept of winning as defined as perfection or even the ultimate goal of sport participation. Kelly embraces humans as active subjects navigating their current limitations to find ways of expanding how they see themselves in order to increase their understanding of the world around them and God.
In defining sport, discussing its spiritual and political context, and debating its true purpose through arguments on how it should be structured, the authors demonstrate that “sport can become a human activity by which we can… encounter God” (p. 177). Three main themes intertwine in this section to support this affirmation: first, sport must be purposely structured to foster true competition where athletes strive with, and not against, one another (p. 163); second, through this structure, the discipline required to compete creates opportunities to push participants, coaches, and parents to see the extent of human capacity and their ability for transcendence; and third, young people are not passive vessels but active beings seeking feedback from their environment as to who they are and what they can be.
Recognizing that young people are souls having a human experience, the second section of the text is filled with poignant and practical real world examples of spirit-centered programs, techniques, and philosophies that are vital to athletic success. This section is also very instrumental in providing parents and coaches with strategies and techniques to help create sport environments which will foster self-transcendence for young athletes. Through documenting the experiences of athletes and coaches in programs including Play Like a Champion Today at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, the Catholic Youth Organization, WE: A Model for Coaching and Christian Living, as well as those in non-Catholic settings including Coach Phil Jackson (Chicago Bulls and L. A. Lakers) and Coach Chuck Daly of the U.S. A. Men’s Basketball Dream team, the authors provide insight into the everyday strategies and tools employed to create the supernatural athletic performances and human experiences we witness on the playing field.
The Examen of Consciousness for Coaches and Parents” (Chapter 15) is an example of the many practical tools provided; it is also universal in its application to youth sport and spiritual development. This tool also reiterates Kelly’s point that excellence in sport and in spirit comes from the discipline and desire to seek excellence in one’s self and in one another daily (cf. “mundanity of excellence”, Chambliss, 1989). Without this “soul” – this everyday striving for one’s best – sport devolves into de-competition (p. 115), losing its meaning and value for the edification of one’s self and posing harm to the community involved.
The use of practitioners, researchers and sport administrators in the second section of the text provides a well-rounded view of sport and reinforces the necessity of sport being in a community context. Sport does not happen in a vacuum, nor is it good or bad; it is a product of the environment in which it is placed and the structure given. Therefore, sport and school administrators are important to shaping the structure, and consequently, the values and experiences gained from sport participation. The use of these various stakeholders in this text shows the need for these individuals in the community and the school to foster a sport environment that centers the transcendence of self in spiritual development and athletic success.
One critique of the text would be its treatment of luck. Luck suggests there are elements that do not come as a result of hard work but merely by happenstance. Luck is a concept that requires further investigation in sport and the Christian faith where values including hard work, perseverance, grace and favor underline schemas for success. Given the need to shift the locus of control internally, the attribution of success to luck by athletes quoted in the text suggests further guidance is needed in providing these athletes with the best language to interpret and describe their sport experiences. Luck also suggests that the end goal is the physical success more than the transcendence of self, contradictory to the authors’ aim. Direct confrontation of the luck concept is required for the highest form of transcendence to occur.
Another critique of this text is its dismissal of the war metaphor and understanding one’s ability to transcend self. The framing of sport as war has biblical implications as asserted in Matthew 11:12: “From the days of John the Baptist until the present, the kingdom from heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people have been attacking it” (International Standard Version). Therefore, in teaching true transcendence, we must not discount the battle-like aspects which one must face to grow spiritually, be successful athletically, and help others to do the same. The authors are accurate in their assessment of war metaphors being used improperly to suggest that one success is dependent on the defeat and/or humiliation of another and that one’s failure could be permanent. Yet, the war metaphor can be used more effectively as opposed to wholly dismissed if used in the spirit-centered contexts the authors adamantly advocate.
A final critique would be the lack of engagement with international contexts for understanding and exploring youth sport and spirituality. While the authors do well to provide a definition of spirituality that is amenable to different cultures and religions, the inclusion of international examples would be helpful in demonstrating the effectiveness or relevancy of the concepts presented to youth sport outside the United States. While the text situates spirituality as promoted within the Catholic faith, the authors are methodical in providing biblical references and contemporary sport examples that demonstrate universal principles of fostering fulfilling sport and spiritual experiences that transcend religion, time, and geography.
Overall, the text reads like a dialogue amongst friends – each chapter providing a unique contribution while paying homage to one another. This text is revolutionary in its paradigm shift to thinking about spirituality and youth sport not as passive activities but sites for challenging what is excellent and how to seek excellence in the midst of adversity. This paradigm shift is critical for sport administrators as well as ministers as we recognize the importance of structuring our programs – sport and otherwise – to reach the intended goals of spiritual and communal growth. Faith, like talent, is given to all at a certain measure and needs to be honed through the experiences provided.
In summary, this is a transformative text not only in its approach to understanding youth sport and spirituality but also in its delivery. Too often the practitioner is missing in the discussion of how we implement sport. Kelly brilliantly illustrates that practitioners' voices and experiences are necessary for researchers and theologians as they provide the very evidence that supports the theories and doctrines we espouse. Practitioners are positioned as the soul of youth sport – the nexus at which transformative sporting experiences can begin. The importance of coaches and youth sport administrators is a key factor to note because they, like the youth in their programs, are too often seen as passive vessels absorbing the norms of the culture as opposed to active participants in the adherence and/or refining of social values.
The use of authors from various backgrounds also serves to increase the text's external validity to the athletic and faith communities as the diversity of examples employed cut across social and historical contexts to illuminate the universality of the tenets explored by the authors. While the text does not include international examples of youth sport and spirituality, the implications for athlete-centered programs are universal; to fully gain from the knowledge of this text does not require that one have a strong background in the Catholic faith and/or in sport, which makes it a valuable read for parents and other lay people who are interested in working with youth sport programs. The book recognizes that even within the Christian faith that there are different ways of understanding spirituality and it does not try to essentialize Christianity but rather to expand its understanding and applicability to sport.