The problem of virtue translation from sports

There is a rising tide of incorporating virtue education into athletic programs in schools. The animating thought is that learners can cultivate virtues, like courage and resilience, which may carry over into the rest of their lives. However, from the virtue theory literature, we know that virtues are often situation-restricted traits. People act in terms of virtues in some areas of life, yet not in others. On these grounds, we might wonder whether the traits acquired in sports will impact character outside of sport at all. This article assesses the problem of virtue translation. It investigates what we can reasonably expect in terms of character development through organized sports and physical training, and it evaluates factors which may influence virtue translation across contexts—the identity of the virtue and similarity of situations.