Love, Hope, and Connection in Sport: Mixed-Methods Findings from a Faith-Integrated Character Intervention with Adolescent Athletes and Mentors

Sport is widely believed to build character, yet research indicates that such development is possible, but not automatic. This mixed-methods study examined how a faith and character intervention shaped the embodied, lived experience of young Christian athletes. Thirty-five adolescent athletes and collegiate mentors, nearly all Christian, took part in an intentionally designed intervention, whose curriculum sought to cultivate five virtues: faith, love, hope, discipline, and courage. Paired-samples t-tests showed statistically significant post-intervention increases in love—assessed through empathy and connection—and a smaller, uncorrected increase in hope, but no significant change in the measures of faith, discipline, or courage. Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses revealed a richer picture: participants described (1) deepened faith, marked by greater integration of their faith into their athletic activities and identities; (2) personal benefits, including a firmer sense of identity, self-worth, purpose, and resilience; (3) social benefits, including connection to others, teamwork, and leadership; and (4) an overall positive perception of the intervention. These findings suggest that faith and character formation offered through the embodied practices of sport can meaningfully shape adolescents’ spiritual lives and athletic identities. Moreover, as internal religious experiences are deeply personal and subjective, we believe that qualitative, narrative-attentive methods may be more sensitive than standard quantitative scales to the lived, embodied dimensions of adolescent faith.