An Exploratory Description of Christian Athletes' Perceptions of Prayer in Sport: A Mixed Methodological Pilot Study

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory, pilot investigation was to examine intercollegiate Christian athletes' perceptions of prayer so that coaches can understand the thought processes of religious athletes. The data gathering process involved three levels (survey distribution, personal interviews, and prayer meeting observations). Nineteen athletes from a mid-western university in the USA from four different sports (women's basketball, track & field, and men's football & baseball) were administered the Johnson-Chan Prayer Effectiveness Survey (JCPES) and Religious Behavior Survey (RBS). After completion of the inventories, all participants were interviewed and prayer group meetings were observed. Results revealed that athletes strongly supported the notion of prayer before and after competition. However, all but one of the athletes prayed before a game, but not after a game. In addition, all athletes revealed that prayer intensity, prayer meaning, and the number of times praying increased with the importance of performance. The importance of coaches understanding all faiths in sport and future research ideas are discussed.