The Effects of Participation in Community Service through Intercollegiate Athletics on Servant Leadership Behaviors

This study examined the relationship between intercollegiate athletes who participate in community service and servant leadership. Data were collected from 136 student-athletes from two large Midwestern universities. These athletes were members of men’s and women’s soccer, women’s rifle, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s cross country, volleyball and women’s basketball. A MANCOVA statistical test was used to test the null hypotheses. Overall, the results yielded no statistically significant relationships between intercollegiate athletes who participated in community service and servant leadership when comparing the two universities. However, univariate between-subjects analyses yielded a statistically significant finding on subscale altruistic calling at University B. Results also indicated statistically significant relationships between participation in intercollegiate athletics with the servant leadership subscales altruistic calling, persuasive mapping and organizational stewardship when student-athletes were compared against each other at both universities. Additionally, the overall results showed gender to be a statistically significant moderator between intercollegiate athletics who participated in community service and servant leadership when comparing the two universities. Univariate between-subjects analyses by gender yielded a statistically significant finding on subscales altruistic calling and emotional healing at University A. Finally, univariate between-subjects analyses yielded statistically significant relationships between gender participation in intercollegiate athletics who participated in community service and the servant leadership subscales altruistic calling and emotional healing when student-athletes were compared against each other at both universities. Women at University B scored higher on altruistic calling and emotional healing