Is Internal Communication Important for Sport Commitment

Abstract

The study investigates the mechanism of internal communication in the context of sport organizations. This article illustrates the relationship between internal communication (peer communication, coach–player communication, communication training, and internal public relation [PR] practices) and commitment of individual players in the sports, broadening the understanding of internal communication practices in sport organizations. This study hypothesized a positive relationship between internal communication dimensions and sport commitment through survey methodology. Using multivariate regression technique, the hypotheses were tested on a sample of 223 players from National Cricket Academy of India that has produced some of the best cricketers in the world. Positive relationships between peer, coach–player communication, communication training, and internal PR practices of the organization and predicting individual sport commitment of players. Stronger predictions were observed for communication training and internal PR practices as compared to peer communication and coach–player communication. The study provides valuable insights from the player’s perspective on internal communication process in a sports organization to ensure individual sport commitment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that has examined the influence of communication training and internal PR practices on individual sport commitment.