April 3, 2018
Villanova Basketball Team celebrated last night as the NCAA National Champions. Not only is this a major athletic victory for Villanova, it is substantial in the movement to bring strong character into the world of professional sports.
It is no secret that the NCAA’s character leadership has been lacking. However, Villanova’s Athletic Department has stood as a pillar of character in the NCAA for years, demonstrating the importance of good character for success. So how does Villanova do it?
Thanks to Villanova’s deep-seated Augustinian values, moral and performance character have been written, taught and modeled for years, becoming ingrained in the school’s culture.
Buy-in from the President of the University filters down through the athletic department, coaches and student athletes, constantly reaffirming the importance of character in sports.
Athletes are treated the same as the rest of the students. Along with the entire student population, they attend the same orientation that focuses on values and character.
Villanova's values are taught and enforced in the field every day by coaches, who consistently communicate with student athletes in proactive ways to help them become people who care about others and reflect the importance of living by Villanova's values and character.