Christianity, Identity, and Professional Football

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3409438
AutoresG W Daniels (0009-0003-0070-7831), Graham Daniels (Ridley Hall, Cambridge CB3 9HG, UK), Andrew Parker (0000-0001-6842-3067, Ridley Hall, Cambridge CB3 9HG, UK, autor de correspondencia)
Año2023
Volumen14
Número10
Páginas1280
Fecha de publicación2023-10-11
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReligions (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
EditorialMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel14101280
OpenAlexW4387538848
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas16

Empirical research on the lives of Christian elite athletes has focused primarily on their appropriation of faith-based behaviours and practices, and the ways in which their value and belief systems impact their performance. While these accounts provide useful insight into personal experience and practical application, they are largely devoid of theological underpinnings. Drawing on the findings of a small-scale qualitative study of the faith journeys of 15 ex-professional footballers, this paper seeks to present a theologically informed understanding of identity formation within elite sport. We begin by problematising the disjuncture between theocentric and anthropocentric approaches to the ways in which the specific identities of Christian elite athletes are often formed. We then explore the key issues that shaped the contours of the respondents' experiences as they sought to negotiate their faith amidst the harsh realities of professional footballing life. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of appropriate support networks to identity formation in Christian elite athletes

Aesthetics · Appropriation · Christianity · Elite · Epistemology · Faith · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Doping in Sports · Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Religious studies · Sports, Gender, and Society