Intrinsic factors that affect the formation and development of an athlete’s personality have been analyzed in this article. The theoretical and practical methods used in the research are as follows: literature analysis and a questionnaire survey. The research is based on a systematic approach to examining the personality of an athlete and on the analysis of the effects of the socializing process in the specific sporting environment. Sports are humane in their nature despite the everpresent competitiveness, because sporting promotes personality development, and helps find undiscovered capabilities of the human organism and spirit. The fulfilment of humanistic potential does not happen on its own, and depends on purposes for which the society uses sports. The results gained indicate that sports definitely have a positive influence on the formation and development of a personality. Some of the negative consequences of sports as a socialization factor on the formation of athlete’s personality have also been pointed out. The race for medals and records has led to the origination of such negative occurrences in sport as striving for the victory at any price, doping, early specialisation, strictness, violence, etc. The factors of specific macro and micro environments have been analysed, the role of individually-psychological factors on the formation and development of an athlete’s personality has been shown.