Sport Leadership Research Articles

The construction of glory and immortality in leaders of sport organizations: The case of Real Madrid President, Florentino Pérez

Introduction: While most soccer mandataries feel comfortable with developing a strong reputation, Florentino Pérez, following the steps of another mythical Real Madrid President, Santiago Bernabeu, seems to have that thirst for glory, a sort of immortality only reserved to a few selected players in the world of soccer. Methodology: This conceptual paper collects and reviews existing scholarship on the idea of glory and connects it to the world of corporate reputation and sports. Sixty-five academic references have been attributed, coming from books, journal articles, and newspapers. The authors also had in-depth interviews with employees at Real Madrid and one of Pérez’s biographers. Results: The idea of glory and immortality in leaders of old has been replaced by other terms, lime reputation, fame, and celebrity. Nonetheless, the world of sports – where epics and a sense of victory are explicit – offers these leaders the possibility of achieving a sense of glory. Discussions: The case of Florentino Pérez offers reason for reflection in this regard and is the proof that the sense of glory has not been lost, at least in the sports world. Conclusions: Sport leaders, such as Florentino Pérez, have built glory thanks to deeds, good press and architecture.

How is coaches’ social identity leadership related to mental health in elite athletes? The mediating role of satisfaction with performance

ABSTRACT It has been found that the way high-performance coaches lead influences both athletes’ performance and mental health. However, limited research exists on the Social Identity Approach to leadership in elite sports, despite growing interest in coaching science regarding interpersonal behaviours and leadership. This study investigates the empirical links between coaches’ leadership, sport performance and mental health from a social identity approach. One hundred and forty-five elite athletes (M age = 20.6 years; SD = 4.1; 62% women, 38% men) answered questionnaires measuring coaches’ social identity leadership, sport performance satisfaction and mental health. The overall structural equation model (SEM) accounted for 36% and 19% of the variances in athletes’ mental health and mental illness dimensions, respectively. There was a positive association between perceived coaches’ social identity leadership and sport performance satisfaction, explaining 10% of its variance. Coaches’ social identity leadership predicted athletes’ mental health but not mental illness. Sport performance satisfaction positively influenced mental health and negatively impacted mental illness. Fostering a sense of “we” and “us” within elite sport training groups is instrumental in promoting sport performance satisfaction and, consequently, enhancing the mental health of athletes. Coaching educational courses may benefit from social identity leadership in interpersonal behaviours.

The Influence of the Coach’s Leadership Strategy on the Motivation and Performance of Volleyball Players in the Pusri Team

This study investigated the effects of different coaching leadership strategies on the motivation and performance of volleyball players in the Pusri team. By employing a mixed-methods approach, the research analyses transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles. Results show that transformational leadership significantly enhances intrinsic motivation and performance, fostering team cohesion and individual development. Transactional leadership, while effective short-term, presents challenges in sustaining long-term motivation due to its reliance on external rewards. Laissez-faire leadership benefits self-motivated players but can negatively impact those needing more guidance. The study concludes that adaptive leadership, tailored to individual and team needs, is crucial for optimizing performance. Recommendations include prioritizing transformational techniques, balanced use of transactional methods, and selective application of laissez-faire strategies. These findings contribute to both theoretical understanding and practical applications in sports leadership.

It Is Leadership, but (Maybe) Not as You Know It: Advocating for a Diversity Paradigm in Sports Leadership and Beyond.

The need to 'rethink leadership' is on the radar of many, from global finance and auditing organisations (e.g., Deloitte) and global sports organisations (e.g., the International Olympic Committee) to national and local sports organisations concerned about the decreasing numbers of participants or the lack of women coaches. Yet, is the dominant Western leadership orthodoxy fit for purpose in the 21st century? The purpose of this article is two-fold. First, to advocate for ways of 'rethinking leadership' that challenge the current dominant ethnocentric, gender-biased, leader-centric orthodoxy. Second, to introduce an expanded global and diverse leadership paradigm that is underpinned by clearly delineated dimensions of diversity and cultural competence, which recognises the importance of the organisational and cultural contexts. The literature discussed in this article draws from leadership studies generally and sports leadership and sports coaching more specifically. Key to this article is the discussion of the implications of adopting a diverse leadership paradigm for policy, practice, development, and research of leadership. This advocacy article does not end with a definitive conclusion but rather with an invitation to participate in a journey to realise the potential of diverse leadership.

119 Addressing inequalities in participation: Developing an inclusive sport and physical activity system across Wales, UK

Abstract Purpose Sport and physical activity participation rates remain low and are particularly apparent in areas of deprivation, among girls and women, those with a disability and minority ethnic populations. In collaboration with Sport Wales (the Welsh Government sponsored body for sport in Wales), this project seeks to facilitate the development of an inclusive sport and physical activity system. Its aim is to identify key organisations and potential leaders where participation in sport and physical activity is low and engage them in finding solutions to these challenges. A specific objective of the project is to use insight and engagement from under-represented groups to drive physical activity and sport participation, amongst children and young people, forwards. Project description The project, undertaken in two phases, was commissioned by Sport Wales. It commenced in September 2023 and is due to finish in late 2024. Phase one includes a social network analysis via an online survey to map the existing sport and physical activity network in Wales. Both a formal and informal distribution strategy for the survey was adopted. The survey seeks to ensure sufficient responses to map the network of key stakeholders and identify previously unknown organisations and individuals. The mapping should enhance our understanding of the current network and identify potential new leaders. Phase two includes the development of a national stakeholder engagement group, made up of the organisations and individuals identified in phase one. This group will act as an advisory group to Sport Wales and produce an engagement plan to inform more effective strategies to target inequalities and under-representation in sport and physical activity participation. A process evaluation is embedded into the project. Conclusions and implications Identifying the organisations and leaders in sport and physical activity in areas where participation is low, and actively engaging them in a leadership group reflects a new approach. It demonstrates a commitment by a national organisation to foster collaboration and seek alternative solutions. The project has the potential to be innovative by developing new ways of working and providing solutions to address ongoing and significant challenges in sport and physical activity participation.

Effects of Sports Leaders' Impersonal Supervision on Athletes' Deviation Behavior and Work-Life Balance

Effects of Sports Leaders' Impersonal Supervision on Athletes' Deviation Behavior and Work-Life Balance

A qualitative exploration of perceived challenges and opportunities in the implementation of injury prevention and management in amateur female sport.

Coaches, practitioners, and leadership in amateur female sport must navigate many obstacles in the pursuit of athlete availability and optimal performance. The present study aims to evaluate opportunities and challenges to both injury prevention and management in amateur female sport, as experienced by mixed-gender coaches, allied healthcare professionals, and general practitioners. Semi-structured virtual interviews of coaches, allied healthcare professionals, and general practitioners (N = 25), recruited via convenience snowball sample. Data transcribed verbatim with reflexive thematic analysis through a critical realism framework. Female-specific issues, education, and resource capital were challenges to the implementation of injury prevention and management in amateur female sport, thus negatively impacting on performance, prevention, and rehabilitation. Opportunities for improved care for female athletes were developing communication and relationships, outsourcing responsibility, and providing greater education, in response to desires for such, and lastly exposure to elite sport and national governing bodies' protocols. In amateur female sport, developing communication pathways and relationships, along with upskilling coaches, can help better support female athletes, coaches, and healthcare professionals. Leaders and stakeholders must advocate for and support greater education, resourcing, and an understanding of female-specific issues in amateur female sport. It is intended that these findings will provide evidence and opportunities for discourse between stakeholders in amateur female sport to improve standard of supports for female athletes, coaches, and healthcare professionals. These findings may also help practitioners better exploit opportunities and circumvent challenges to improve the welfare and performance of amateur female athletes.

High-level military and sport leaders’ everyday challenges and psychological skills: A cross-contextual repeated measures study

ABSTRACT Research shows that high-level military and sport leaders share a high-stress and high-stakes leader role due to similar experiences of demanding conditions mainly manifested in psychological burden. This raises research questions about leaders’ psychological strategies to maintain their mental health and performance under demanding conditions. Thus, the current study investigated how experienced demanding conditions were related to self-rated leader performance level and mental health indicators among high-level military and sport leaders and whether the application of psychological skills by these leaders moderated these relationships. A composite questionnaire was used to collect data longitudinally, once a week for four consecutive weeks. Fifty-two Swedish high-ranking military officers and executives in elite team sport organizations completed the questionnaire. Multilevel analysis revealed no effect of demanding conditions on leader performance, but they harmed leader vitality and were associated with higher stress symptoms. Moreover, psychological skills did not moderate the relationship between demanding conditions and leader performance. However, motivational and instructional self-talk negatively moderated the relationship between demanding conditions and vitality. In contrast, emotional regulation, comprised of mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal, positively moderated vitality. Emphasizing the nuanced application of psychological skills is crucial while avoiding one-sided beliefs about their positive effects. Interventions are suggested to focus on vitality and related psychological skills to ensure leaders feel good while performing under demanding conditions. More cross-contextual leadership research, suggestively applied research, is needed to better understand the links between high-level military and sport leaders’ psychological skills, leader performance, and mental health under demanding conditions.

A systematic review of LGBTQ+ identities and topics in sport leadership.

As individuals with occupational status and power, sport leaders (e.g., coaches and athletic administrators) are responsible for enforcing cultures of inclusion within institutions of athletics. Yet, sport leaders who possess LGBTQ+ sexual identities are frequently marginalized and stigmatized by entities within and outside of athletics (e.g., athletes, parents of athletes, colleagues). Therefore, LGBTQ+ sport leaders are often faced with a challenging set of circumstances: negotiate the authenticity of their sexual orientation in the context of sport, or leave the profession entirely. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of research related to LGBTQ+ sport leader experiences. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), research across six countries (China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, United Kingdom, United States) between 1997 and 2021 was analyzed. Themes across included studies (N = 34) describe intrapersonal experiences of LGBTQ+ sport leaders, interpersonal studies examining stakeholder attitudes (i.e., parents and athletes) toward LGBTQ+ sport leaders, and sport manager attitudes toward LGBTQ+ topics. Findings convey that sport leaders continue to face marginalization due to the presence of heterosexism and heteronormativity in athletics. Future research should continue to explore LGBTQ+ sport leader experiences, behaviors, attitudes, and identities to determine their impact on fostering inclusion and belonging within athletic spaces.

Youth sport coaches' perceptions of participating in the Transformational Coaching Workshop – A qualitative evaluation

Transformational leadership in sports is generally associated with positive athlete outcomes. The Transformational Coaching Workshop was developed as a person-oriented workshop to enhance youth sport experiences. However, evidence of participants’ perceptions of the workshop and how it may be improved is lacking. This study investigated coaches' perceptions of the Transformational Coaching Workshop, its outcomes and applications, and areas for improvement. Youth handball coaches were interviewed immediately (n = 10) and 6 months (n = 5) after participating in the Transformational Coaching Workshop, and the club's sporting director was interviewed 6 months following the workshop. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and data were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis. Overall, the workshop was well received by the coaches, highlighting the importance of a coach development program on the interpersonal aspect of coaching, and pinpointing relevant and practical examples and interactive learning experiences as effective components of the workshop. Furthermore, the workshop made the coaches more confident in their approach to leadership and provided tools and ideas for implementing transformational leadership in their daily coaching practices. It was also perceived to lead to actual behaviour changes, including challenging the players to take more responsibilities and fostering more frequent informal interactions and counselling with them. However, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Transformational Coaching Workshop, additional follow-up activities such as seminars, colleague observations, and club involvement were recommended. In conclusion, this study contributes to the existing literature on the potential efficacy of the Transformational Coaching Workshop while identifying areas for further improvement.

Sports legacies of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games: a study from the perspective of Brazilian athletes

ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigated the sports legacies of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (PG) from the perspective of Brazilian Paralympic athletes. Methodology We conducted semi-structured interviews with twenty athletes, examining the following categories of sports legacies: sports facilities, material resources and equipment, sponsorships, encouragement of sports participation, and athletes’ motivation/experiences. Findings According to the interviewees, the main legacies were the establishment of the Brazilian Paralympic Training Centre, located in São Paulo, coupled with the experience, personal pride, and motivation gained from participating in the PG. They believe that inadequate management by the public authorities and sports entity leaders hindered the realization of positive legacies in the other investigated categories. Implications This study recommends the need for advance planning to maximize the legacies of the PG for the sports community. In addition to the usual involvement of politicians and sports leaders, we suggest the inclusion of athlete representation in this process. Research contributions This study emphasizes the importance of proactive management in sports entities and highlights how it can enhance or impede potential positive sports legacies. Originality While other studies have evaluated PG legacies from various perspectives, such as social or infrastructural, few have specifically assessed sports legacies.

“It’s Necessary Work”: Stories of Competitive Youth Sport Coaches’ Developing Critical Praxes

In this study, nine Canadian competitive youth sport coaches’ challenges and successes in creating safer and more inclusive sport spaces were explored through individual pre- and postseason interviews and an in-season reflective portfolio of their coaching experiences. From a story analyst approach, the central narrative theme of “it’s my responsibility to enact change” was identified. A storyteller approach was then used to communicate the meanings of the central theme as accessible creative nonfiction composite stories: When is it okay to intervene?; burning out … it’s consuming me; and breaking through … it’s necessary work. Building on previous research, the findings demonstrate how coaches’ critical praxes shift on a continuum of awareness and advocacy. The creative nonfictions may be used by coach educators and mental performance consultants to help coaches and leaders in sport assess their critical praxes toward challenging social issues in sport and acting in ways that support advocacy and empowerment.

초임 스포츠지도자의 직업사회화에 따른 삶 형성과정

The purpose of study is to understand the process of career formation of newly appointed sports leaders through the process of vocational socialization. As sports leaders feel the need to develop their ability to respond to society and prepare themselves for their work, this study aims to understand the process of sports leaders developing into professionals. Five sports leaders with less than two years of experience were selected and data were collected through literature, interviews, and participatory observation. As a result, vocational socialization was categorized into introduction to sports leaders, the process of activities of sports leaders, and the realization of professional expertise. Therefore, these experiential factors are classified as sub-factors. The formation of occupationalization to be a sports leader was suggested as 1) initiationㆍfor a sports leader 2) professional value. The process of sports guidance activity was set as 1) the stage of adaptation 2) the stage of growth. The realization of professional professionalism was classified as 1) the expression of professional professionalism 2) the educational philosophy.

Coach Leadership Behavior and Student Athlete Performance: Towards A University Sports Leadership Program

This study investigated the correlation between coach leadership behavior and their performance in Huaihua University, Hunan Province, China with the purpose of proposing a University Sports Leadership Program. The participants in this study are college athlete athletes. Stratified sampling technique was used in the selection of participants. There was a total of 240 college athletes representing the various sports team in the university. The researcher used adapted questionnaires that assessed the leadership behavior of coaches and athlete performance respectively, using some constructs from the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS): training and instruction, democratic decision making, autocratic decision making, social support and positive feedback and A Cross-Sport Athletic Performance Rating Scale measuring Self-motivation, Self-confidence, Emotional Stability, Athletic Ability, and Character. The overall result suggests a strong relationship, as coach leadership behavior is significantly and highly correlated with student athletes' level of performance; and The Sports Leadership Program emerged as a result of an in-depth study that revealed a strong correlation between athlete performance and coach leadership behavior. The program aims to maximize team relationships and athlete development by addressing gaps in coaching techniques that have been discovered.

Female leadership in sports coaching: a case analysis of Chinese coaches through the ability–motivation–opportunity framework

Purpose This study aims to investigate how the role of female leadership works in sports coaching. Drawing key insights from the ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) framework of human resource management, the authors explore the underlying mechanisms of female leadership and the role female coaches play in enabling athletes to develop their self-initiative through AMO enhancement. Design/methodology/approach The sample in this study is made up of 11female coaches from eight teams in China selected using purposive sampling. Data was collected and analyzed on various aspects of female leadership. Findings Analysis of interviews and secondary data show that the mechanisms and enablers related to AMO enhancing practices stimulated by female coaching leadership can increase team performance. Research limitations/implications This study opens new avenues for sports science research and strengthens the theoretical and practical understanding of the intentions and mechanisms female coaches implement as leaders in sports coaching. Originality/value First, this study contributes to the AMO framework by helping form new theoretical insights based on the understanding of female sports coaching mechanisms. Second, this study provides novel insights into female leadership literature by investigating the mechanisms of female leadership in the context of sports exercise. Third, this study also contributes to the body of research on sports coaching in Asia, especially that of Chinese women in such leadership roles.

The relationships among trait mindfulness, obsessive passion, and emotions in high school sport managers

Purpose Mindfulness emerges as a possible means to alleviate obsessive passion. Nevertheless, its application in sport leadership context remains understudied, despite the significant levels of stress and turnover that are common in this profession. This study aims to investigate the relationships among trait mindfulness, obsessive passion, and specific positive (e.g., happiness), neutral (e.g., calmness), and negative (e.g., anger) emotions in high school sport managers. Method In total, 358 high school sport managers ( Mage = 48.47, SD = 8.93) working in 46 states in the United States completed the online questionnaires measuring the proposed variables. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were utilized to examine the hypotheses. Result The results showed that trait mindfulness negatively predicted obsessive passion. Additionally, obsessive passion negatively predicted the feelings of happiness and calmness, while it positively predicted anger. The mediation analysis revealed that obsessive passion fully mediated the relationships between trait mindfulness and the three types of emotion. Conclusion These findings are significant because they demonstrate the buffering role of trait mindfulness in obsessive passion. Furthermore, the study provides meaningful insights into sport managers’ emotional experiences, particularly by empirically examining the effect of obsessive passion on different emotions.

The Opportunity for Profit to College Student-AthletesAnalysis Study

A recent study by Romero (2018) suggests that NCAA athletes should receive better compensation. College student-athletes put in much time and energy, but many do not receive adequate pay. High school athletes’ chances of participating in college sports are lower without scholarships. It is time to recognize their value and provide financial support. (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates collegiate sports, and this study emphasizes the livelihood of collegiate student-athletes and the rules they must follow. Furthermore, the study compares the coach’s salaries with collegiate student-athlete student-athletes to profit from their crafts. The researchers gathered data from various literature and randomly surveyed over 400 college students, used a systematic review approach, Chi-squared test, and descriptive statistics to review the evidence, and analyzed the survey data using the Statistic Package for Social Science (SPSS). In addition, the study explores the opportunity for compensating student-athletes and investigates the salaries of “celebrity” coaches and the minimal financial compensation or stipend student-athletes receive while playing for these coaches. The current study found that college and university sports leaders should not view student-athletes as mere athletes but as valuable assets that create organic growth for their college athletics and the NCAA benefits from endorsement and advertising deals. The result indicated that athletes should be able to earn extra money that raises their living standards above the poverty line, while college sports generate billions of dollars for universities, broadcasters, and sponsors. University coaches are signing multi-million-dollar contracts while their players are forced to live off $12,000 on average, and most of the money goes toward their tuition, room, books, board, and class needs. The study supports that the Supreme Court recently allowed colleges to provide “education-related” payments to student-athletes. The decision permits student-athletes to pursue endorsement deals based on their name, image, and likeness.

A Qualitative Study on E-Sports Players’ Leadership Perceptions Regarding Their Team Coaches

Having emerged following the professionalization of digital gaming, e-sports has created its ecosystem and become a large-scale industry itself. Teams involved in this industry experience a social environment just like in other organizational structures. As e-sports is a relatively newer branch when compared to other sports branches, leadership in e-sports is not a commonly studied topic in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore leadership perceptions of e-sports players in a comprehensive way. A team coach is often considered the leader in e-sports. The study was designed according to the principles of phenomenology, which is a qualitative research method. The semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers was used as the data collection instrument. The interviews were conducted with a group of e-sports players who met the predetermined criteria for participation in the study. The data was analyzed by using the content analysis method. First, the codes were determined, and later, the categories, and finally, the themes were identified out of these categories. Accordingly, it was found that leadership in e-sports is perceived under five themes: physical characteristics, personality traits, professional qualifications, technical skills, and management skills. Finally, it can be concluded that leadership in e-sports is quite similar to leadership in other traditional sports in many ways. However, the study showed that it has unique characteristics that need studying within the framework of the digital age and technological advancements.

Cultural Leadership in Physical Education and Youth Sport

This paper is the product of a Nordic Think Tank. The purpose was to unify experienced educators and expert researchers to (a) provide a set of working definitions for cultural leadership in physical education and youth sport, and (b) set an agenda for future research and educational practice in both contexts. A cultural leader is the professional and social role of a person who has legitimacy (is in the position) and responsibility to develop, maintain, and (if needed) attempt to change culture of a group of learners, such as pupils or athletes, in the service of good (i.e., helps pupils or athletes to thrive inside and outside school or sport; are continuing to learn, develop in a holistic way, and meet their potential). Six postulates representing consensus views of the invited group are proposed: (1) cultural leadership is a meta-function that permeates all other pedagogical functions of the physical education teacher and the youth sport coach; (2) today cultural leadership is more important than ever; (3) cultural leadership in physical education and youth sport must be in the service of good; (4) cultural leadership in physical education and youth sport requires specific competencies and virtues; (5) culture is co-produced, but the physical education teacher and youth sport coach have a special responsibility; (6) cultural leadership should be integrated in physical education teacher education and youth sport coach education in the future; and future research should explore teachers and coaches as cultural leaders to inform future educational practices.

Measuring leadership in sport: Development and validation of the Identity Leadership Inventory – Youth (ILI-Y)

The social identity approach to leadership posits that leaders' effectiveness depends on their ability to represent, advance, create, and embed a shared sense of social identity among their followers. Although significant progress has been made in investigating the benefits of identity leadership in adult sports, research in youth sports is still in its infancy. One reason is the lack of a youth-centric inventory that adequately measures identity leadership in this population. To bridge this gap, we developed and validated a long (16 items) and short (5 items) version of the Identity Leadership Inventory for Youth Sport (ILI-Y or ILI-Y-Short-Form) through five studies conducted in three phases of research. Data were primarily collected in football in the United Kingdom, involving a total of 1096 participants. Results of Phase I of this study provided little to no evidence that the ILI – originally developed for adults – was understandable (Study 1) and had factor validity and internal consistency (Study 2) in a sample of youth athletes. Therefore, in Phase II, the ILI was revised, leading to the development of the ILI-Y, which was understandable for youth athletes (Study 3). Results from Phase II (Study 4) also indicated that the ILI-Y exhibited a unidimensional factor structure, which was subsequently confirmed in Phase III (Study 5). This last phase offered additional evidence for the discriminant, criterion, and incremental validity of the ILI-Y and its short form, along with their measurement invariance across genders and age groups, and internal consistency. This study provides sports psychology researchers and practitioners with a valid measure to assess identity leadership in youth sports.