Champions of Character

CHAMPIONS OF CHARACTER

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character program is designed to instill an understanding of character values in sport and provide practical tools for student-athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators to use in modeling exemplary character traits. The NAIA developed the Champions of Character program in response to the growing problem of deteriorating standards of integrity in sports and society. At a time when all of sport has experienced increasingly inappropriate behavior by athletes, coaches, and fans, NAIA Champions of Character raises the standards for positive student-athlete development in athletics and academics. The NAIA Champions of Character program has established five core values that stretch well beyond the playing field. The NAIA identifies those core values as: integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership. These character values help young people - and those associated with their development - make good choices in all aspects of their life and reflect the true spirit of competition.

Roosevelt's Commitment

The Roosevelt University Athletic Department is committed to living by the core values of the NAIA Champions of Character initiative. The values of respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship are reflected in Roosevelt's mission statement and will be apparent in the way the administrative staff, coaches and student-athletes comport themselves on the playing field, in the classroom and in the community.

Respect

Roosevelt staff, coaches and student-athletes will respect themselves, their opponents and their sport. They will respect themselves by maximizing their potential in everything they do while remembering that respect from others is earned, not given. They will respect their opponents by valuing competition, serving as gracious hosts and valuing the importance of those around them in an effort to reach their goals. They will respect their sport by giving their best effort on the field, playing within the rules and winning with humility and losing with dignity.

Responsibility

Roosevelt staff, coaches and student-athletes will be accountable for their actions. They will be ambassadors for the university through their positive decision-making in all areas of life, including in the classroom, on the playing field and socially on campus.

Integrity

Roosevelt staff, coaches and student-athletes will adhere to moral and ethical principles. They will not sacrifice rules adherence or compliance in exchange for victory or personal advancement. They will practice the standards outlined in the NAIA Code of Ethics and the Champions of Character pledge.

Servant Leadership

Roosevelt staff, coaches and student-athletes will put team goals ahead of individual achievement, providing leadership through positive actions in competition, the classroom and the community. They will be humble stewards for the University, recognizing that success will come by serving the needs of the community that surrounds them while also striving to reach their own goals.

Sportsmanship

Roosevelt staff, coaches and student-athletes are committed to establishing and developing positive environments for competition through good sportsmanship. They will adhere to the five principles of good sportsmanship – respect, fairness, civility, honesty, responsibility – in the arena of competition and promote fairness and equity in all relationships.