The convergence of religion and sport in college athletes: an experimental study in the state of Iraqi Kurdistan

Introduction: Knowing that some student athletes might integrate their spirituality into their sport participation, while others may not, has important implications for coaches and sport psychology consultants. First, coaches and consultants need to be mindful and sensitive to this reality and create an environment that is respectful of athletes’ religious and spiritual beliefs, or lack thereof. For example, coaches and consultants should avoid speaking from the point of reference of a specific religious tradition..The purpose of this study was to provide and test a unique theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between sport and religion. Methodology: The construct of sanctification from the field of the psychology of religion was introduced as a way to understand and examine this relationship. Drawing from a sample of college athletes, the degree to which athletes perceive their participation in sport as sacred was assessed. Several hypotheses regarding the implications of athletes sanctifying their participation in sport were tested. sanctification of sport participation, or lack thereof, and the specific variables measured in this study. Additionally, this study was only a first effort to examine the sanctification of sport performance. Many questions remain unanswered. For example, it is unclear how perceiving sport participation as sacred is related to actual performance. Nor is it clear how changes in perception about the sacred impact athletes or how participation in sport comes to be perceived as sacred. Result: results indicated that athletes’ sanctification of sport was not uncommon; that is, many athletes viewed their participation in sport as sacred. Results from this study also suggest that examining the spiritual emotions athletes experience through their involvement in sport might be beneficial. Research which gives athletes the forum to describe the different kinds of spiritual emotions they experience, how often they experience these emotions, under what circumstances they are most likely to experience them, and what they perceive to be the consequences of these emotions might give insight into how these emotions impact athletes on and off the field. Conclusion: Furthermore, sanctification of sport predicted important psychological and psycho-spiritual behaviors related to sport participation as well as health benefits. In spite of its limitations, this study takes an important step to in depth consideration of perceptions of the sacred as they relate to sport. It provides a unique conceptual framework for understanding the interface of sport and religion. It represents the first known effort to proximally measure athletes’ perceptions of sport within the context of spirituality. This study also indicates that the sanctification of sport is not uncommon and that it is a significant predictor of both psycho-spiritual and psychological variables with important health implications. Furthermore, it suggests coaches and sport psychology consultants should seriously consider how they approach and talk about spiritual issues with athletes. In sum, this study evidences the richness of the study of sport and religion and sets the stage for exiting and promising research on an important but overlooked dimension in sport.