Identity Formation in Elite Sport: Christianity, Professional Soccer and Personal Integrity

Abstract: Popular accounts of the lives of Christian elite athletes have focused primarily on their faith-based behaviors and practices and how their values and beliefs impact their evangelistic endeavors. These narratives provide helpful insight into personal experience and activities, yet they often lack theological and theoretical rigor. Drawing on the findings of a small-scale, qualitative study of the faith journeys of a cohort of UK-based, ex-professional soccer players, this paper seeks to present a theologically and theoretically informed understanding of identity within elite sport. We begin by discussing the theocentric and anthropocentric approaches which are often used to explain identity formation within the lives of Christian elite athletes. We then explore the key issues that shaped the personal experiences of respondents as they sought to integrate their faith-based values and beliefs into their everyday workplace situations. We conclude by highlighting the way in which the integration of a theocentric perspective has the potential to positively impact identity formation among Christian elite athletes.