Organizational justice in intercollegiate athletics: Perceptions of coaches

Research indicates sport industry employees encounter organizational justice, or fairness perceptions, during resource distributions on the basis of what was distributed (distributive justice), how the distribution decision was reached (procedural justice), and how the distribution decision was communicated to the employee (interaction justice). This study's purpose was to explore coaches’ perceptions of fairness regarding current resource distribution systems in intercollegiate athletics in terms of types of sport (high profile sports vs. low profile sports) and participant gender (male participant sports vs. female participant sports). A total of 260 coaches from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, II, and III institutions in the United States responded through online surveys assessing three dimensions of organizational justice: distributive, procedural, and interactional justice. Subsequently, tests for discriminant validity prompted the consolidation of the procedural and interactional justice dimensions. MANOVA tests found: (a) no significant main effect nor interaction effect for distributive justice and (b) main effects of type of sport and participant gender, but no interaction effect for procedural justice. Practical and broader theoretical implications for these findings are discussed.     

Coaches' attitudes towards placebo interventions in sport

Placebo-induced performance enhancement is a new controversial issue in competitive sports. Coaches have control over the use of placebos, but their practices and attitudes were barely studied to date. In this survey 96 coaches from regional, national and international levels were asked about their practices and attitudes concerning placebo use in sports. Results revealed that 90% of the respondents were aware of placebo effects. Many (44%) coaches admitted to administering a placebo to their athletes. Those working at international level have administered placebos more often than the others (P = .02). Two thirds of the coaches agreed to the wider use of placebos in sport. Respondents who have used placebos in the past reported improved athletic performance. They also agreed more to the wider use of placebos than the coaches who previously did not use a placebo (P = .001). Team sport coaches use more often placebos than coaches working with individual athletes (P = .05). Only 10% of the sample thought that their athletes would refuse a hypothetical performance enhancer supplied by them. After a successful placebo intervention, only 15% of the coaches would administer it again without consulting the athlete. Overall, the coaches are optimistic about placebo use in sports. Close to half of them, especially those coaching at higher levels of competition, may use it regularly while achieving positive results.     

Addressing competing logics between the mission of a religious university and the demands of intercollegiate athletics

The purpose of this study was to examine the strategies within a faith-based university for managing competing institutional logics of its NCAA Division II affiliated athletic department. Utilizing a case study methodology, the authors collected data from athletic department members and university administrators and faculty. Within the context of this study, our data indicated that the religious academic culture of the university often conflicted with the athletic expectations of winning and marketing the university. Our findings indicated certain strategies that were effective for resolving the conflicting logics within the athletic department. Particularly, members of the athletic department drew from the strong religious culture of the university to guide their operations. The implications of this research within the field of sport management and broader organizations are discussed.     

Examining environmental fan engagement initiatives through values and norms with intercollegiate sport fans

The United Nations has asserted that sport organizations and/or allied sponsors can influence fans to engage in more sustainable behaviours intentions at sporting events and at home; however, more investigation is necessary to assess this assumption. The purpose of this study was to examine values and norms related to the natural environment and perceptions of fan engagement sustainability initiatives that influence sustainable at-home behaviours. Season ticket holders (N = 267) of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's collegiate basketball programme completed a preseason survey assessing values, norms, and perception of environmental efforts; at the conclusion of the season, recall and influence of three environmental initiatives (recycling, water conservation, and composting) featured at each game over the season were assessed. Results indicate that sport-event norms were a significant predictor of lower perception of recycling inconvenience, higher perception of recycling benefits, and positive influence of athletic department sustainability efforts while values and personal norms were non-significant predictors. Values and personal norms were not significantly related to sponsored initiative awareness, sponsor recall, and perceptions of influence related to at-home behaviour change. Sport-event norms significantly predicted influence towards at-home composting. Future research should longitudinally examine the influence of environmentally sustainability focused fan engagement initiatives on sustainable behavioural change at events and at-home.     

Relationships between met-expectation and attitudinal outcomes of coaches in intercollegiate athletics

The purpose of this study was to examine direct and indirect relationships between met-expectation and coaches’ attitudinal work-related outcomes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) through the mediating effects of perceived organizational support. A total of 260 coaches at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, II, and III institutions in the United States participated in the online survey. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated full mediation of perceived organizational support between met-expectation and job satisfaction and partial mediation of perceived organizational support between met-expectation and organizational commitment. In addition, the results of multiple group SEM revealed distinct paths between high profile sports and non-high profile sports. Met-expectation had only indirect relationships with job satisfaction and organizational commitment through perceived organizational support for coaches in high-profile sports. However, met-expectation had both direct and indirect relationships with organizational commitment for coaches in non-high profile sports. The results generally support the effects of met-expectation on coaches’ attitudes, which highlights the importance of clear expectations for coaches and their immediate supervisors.     

Relationships among values, achievement orientations, and attitudes in youth sport

This research examines the value-expressive function of attitudes and achievement goal theory in predicting moral attitudes. In Study 1, the Youth Sport Values Questionnaire (YSVQ; Lee, Whitehead, & Balchin, 2000) was modified to measure moral, competence, and status values. In Study 2, structural equation modeling on data from 549 competitors (317 males, 232 females) aged 12-15 years showed that moral and competence values predicted prosocial attitudes, whereas moral (negatively) and status values (positively) predicted antisocial attitudes. Competence and status values predicted task and ego orientation, respectively, and task and ego orientation partially mediated the effect of competence values on prosocial attitudes and of status values on antisocial attitudes, respectively. The role of sport values is discussed, and new research directions are proposed.     

Introducing branded communities in sport for building strong brand relations in social media

Brand communities have become an important aspect for brand management in social media. However, many brands have failed to establish a successful online brand community. In this study, we introduce branded communities as an alternative concept to brand communities. In contrast to brand communities, a branded community does not revolve around a specific (sport) brand, but around any interest or need. However, a specific brand makes use of the community for marketing purposes by sponsoring or operating the community. We emphasize the suitability of sport as an interest around which branded communities can be built as well as links of branded communities to sport sponsorship. We empirically studied the factors which influence the success of this phenomenon and the effects of operating or sponsoring such a community for a brand by using an online survey (N = 501) of members of a branded online community relating to football. The results demonstrate the relevance of topic interest (i.e., identification and involvement with football) and the quality of the community as determinants of interest in and loyalty towards a branded community. The brand owner benefits from an increase in brand loyalty for those community members who are aware of the brand as the operator of the community, whereby awareness of this sponsorship does not decrease loyalty towards the community. Our research contributes to previous knowledge by proving that branded communities are both an effective means for companies to deploy sponsorship and branding strategies in social media and provide a promising opportunity for sport managers to generate value.     

当代大学生体育学习心态的调查与研究

运用文献资料、调查访问和数理统计等研究方法,并依据社会心理学、体育心理学和教育心理学等有关原理对当代大学生的体育学习心态进行了调查和研究.研究结果表明,大学生体育学习心态有:积极参与、主动参与、被动参与、消极逆反.对主动积极参与体育学习心态和不良体育学习心态进行了分析,并提出了相应的对策.     

Institutions of higher commitment: A case study of de-escalation and American football's decisive role in intercollegiate athletics

This case study presents a common challenge among many sport organisations facing the decision to maintain, increase, or decrease commitment to failing projects or courses of action. Using escalation of commitment theory as a framework, this case highlights the organisational processes for reversing former commitment decisions, underscoring seldom pursued de-escalation behaviour. This case uses fictional East University to illustrate the circumstances confronting most National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletic departments in the United States. Amidst inadequate revenue to cover increasing expenses, university decision makers are often responsible for determining the most suitable commitment to intercollegiate athletics, with a specific focus on costly football programs. Given extensive stakeholder involvement and pressure, commitment decisions are further complicated by the complex economic, social, and political challenges of balancing often competing groups and their interests. In response to a university-wide initiative emphasising successful programs and critically scrutinising underperforming programs, East's athletic director Steve Barnes is charged with determining the most appropriate course of action in de-escalating athletics (notably football) commitment. Consequently, the situation presented provides students with an opportunity to critically evaluate the multifaceted nature of de-escalating commitment to an existing course of action. This case is useful for both undergraduate and graduate courses in strategic management, organisational behaviour, athletic administration, and policy and governance.     

A destination development by building a brand image and sport event tourism: a case of Sport City USA

Abstract

While visitors look for a complete ‘experience’ and select travel destinations on the basis of the total set of destination attributes, individual suppliers that operate independently usually market offer in fragmented pieces. A destination brand with strong equity leads to greater commitment in the form of loyalty and willingness to revisit the destination. As one of the key components for destination characteristics, the sports industry has rapidly developed in recent years. Two cities were discussed as the known for sport city case and Frisco, Texas was examined for the current study. The results of this study show that the economic impact is significant for a destination. Some critical factors (e.g. sustainability) should be discussed in future study.     

Implicit and explicit attitudes towards sport among young elite athletes with high versus low burnout symptoms

The development of cynical attitudes towards elite sport is a core symptom of athlete burnout and has been associated with dropout from elite sport. To date, this phenomenon has mainly been studied by investigating explicit attitudes towards sport, whereas athletes’ automatic evaluations (i.e. implicit attitudes) that have been shown to influence behavior as well were not considered. This study aimed to compare explicit and implicit attitudes towards sport of young elite athletes with high (N = 24) versus low (N = 26) burnout symptoms. Using self-reported measures, general and athlete burnout symptoms were assessed. Additionally, a single-target implicit association test was administered to examine participants’ automatic evaluation of sport. Statistical analysis revealed greater emotional/physical exhaustion and sport devaluation in athletes reporting high compared to low burnout symptoms. Implicit attitudes towards sport did not significantly differ between the groups. Furthermore, no significant correlations were observed between different athlete burnout symptoms and implicit attitudes. Athletes with high burnout symptoms show a tendency to explicitly detach themselves from sport, thus fostering sport devaluation as a core symptom of athlete burnout. However, this process does not seem to be reflected in their implicit attitudes towards sport.     

Contextual influences and athlete attitudes to drugs in sport

This article reports on 11 narrative-based case histories which sought to: (1) uncover the attitudes of players and athletes to drugs in sport, and (2) explore contextual factors influencing the formation of those attitudes as informed by social ecology theory. Overall, participants viewed the use of banned performance-enhancing substances as cheating, ‘hard’ non-performance-enhancing recreational or illicit substances as unwise, legal non-performance-enhancing substances as acceptable, and legal performance-enhancing substances as essential. In short, attitudes were sometimes quite libertarian, and contingent upon first, the legality of the substance, and second, its performance impact. Results also indicated that athletes’ attitudes about drugs were fundamentally shaped by sport's culture. Other significant factors included its commercial scale, closely identifiable others, early experiences and critical incidents of players and athletes, and their level of performance.     

The role of sport in community capacity building: An examination of sport for development research and practice

Population health promotion and preventing disease remain important global policy goals. Because of the complex nature of health, and the recognition of the limits of individual-oriented health promotion strategies, recent decades have seen increased interest by public health researchers and practitioners in community-level approaches to health promotion. Increasingly, community-level approaches have been based upon the theoretical concept of community capacity. Community capacity is seen as a critical mechanism for supporting and promoting community-level health and through the sport for development (SFD) model, there is evidence of sport being an important practice for community development. However, little is known about the potential role of sport as a mechanism for building community capacity. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to examine the efficacy of sport to contribute to the process of community capacity building. Using seven established dimensions of community capacity, there is evidence that many SFD practices can effectively facilitate dimensions of community capacity when conducted in intentional, culturally relevant ways. Specifically, sport has demonstrated efficacy in building local skills, knowledge, and resources, increasing social cohesion, facilitating structures and mechanisms for community dialog, leadership development, and encouraging civic participation. More research is needed to understand sport's ability to promote capacity building through collective action, developing value systems that support democracy and inclusion, and encouraging critical reflection. To increase the usefulness of sport to support community health development, SFD principles should be included as part of sport management university curricula. Additionally, practitioners need grounding in community and human development research to support non-sport components of programs. Finally, participatory action research techniques should be used by researchers and practitioners. Sport-based development often generates high interest from residents, funders, and policy makers. By applying principles of community capacity building, sport may be uniquely positioned to enhance sustainable community health development initiatives.     

Sonic branding in sport: A model for communicating brand identity through musical fit

The psychological and sociological dynamics of sport participation and sport spectatorship are presaged by and captured in the production and consumption of music. Yet, despite its ubiquity in organized sport, as well as its widely acknowledged significance in our contemporary social realities, few studies in sport marketing have examined the formative role of music in affecting sport consumer behaviour. As such, the field seemingly lacks theoretical and methodological direction in dealing with music as a means of effective marketing communication. Research is needed to inform academics and practitioners about the appropriate use and potential outcomes of music in sport marketing contexts. In this paper, the authors review current literature concerning the role of music in marketing and propose a conceptual framework for analyzing music in various sport marketing contexts using classical and modern theoretical approaches.     

大学生运动中颌面部损伤调查及应对措施

通过对自2005年以采138例体育锻炼中颌面部受伤的大学生进行调查,对运动损伤的原因、部位、性质等因素进行具体统计和分析,提出了预防课外体育锻炼运动损伤的重要性及应对措施.     

Perfectionism and attitudes towards doping in junior athletes

Recent theory and research suggest that perfectionism is a personal factor contributing to athletes’ vulnerability to doping (using banned substances/drugs to enhance sporting performance). So far, however, no study has examined what aspects of perfectionism suggest a vulnerability in junior athletes. Employing a cross-sectional design, this study examined perfectionism and attitudes towards doping in 129 male junior athletes (mean age 17.3 years) differentiating four aspects of perfectionism: perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, parental pressure to be perfect, and coach pressure to be perfect. In the bivariate correlations, only parental pressure showed a positive relationship with positive doping attitudes. In a multiple regression analysis controlling for the overlap between the four aspects, perfectionistic strivings additionally showed a negative relationship. Moreover, a structural equation model examining the relationships between all variables suggested that coach pressure had a negative indirect effect on attitudes towards doping via perfectionistic strivings. The findings indicate that perceived parental pressure to be perfect may be a factor contributing to junior athletes’ vulnerability to doping, whereas perfectionistic strivings may be a protective factor.     

浅谈高校冰雪运动的创伤与预防

通过对高校冰雪运动出现的伤害事故进行抽样调查,统计了运动损伤的分布情况,对常见类型和原因进行了分析,提出预防措施.     

Exploring sport brand double jeopardy: The link between team market share and attitudinal loyalty

Marketers are charged with the responsibility of attracting consumers and encouraging loyalty for their brands. Double jeopardy, a marketing law observed across numerous product and service settings, contends that loyalty is largely influenced by a brand's market share. There have been suggestions that sport may be one of the few areas immune to such effects, providing researchers with an opportunity to test how sport brand loyalty may be impacted by market share. The current research capitalises on this opportunity by assessing the effects of market share on attitudinal loyalty reported by a sample of 794 Australian sport fans. ANOVA tests revealed that fans of high market share brands displayed higher levels of attitudinal loyalty towards their favourite teams in comparison to small market share team fans. Further tests revealed that differences existed in terms of the brand association perceptions held by high and small market share team fans, and how these contributed to predicting attitudinal loyalty. Consequently, sport marketers should be cognisant of double jeopardy effects when evaluating sport brands and formulating marketing strategies, though future research is needed to determine the full applicability of double jeopardy within the sport context.     

Capacity building in nonprofit sport organizations: Development of a process model

Despite the growing literature on organizational capacity in nonprofit and sport organizations, considerable gaps remain when the analysis shifts to building that capacity. This study proposes a comprehensive model of capacity building that recognizes the concepts and relationships involved in that process. The model was developed according to de Groot's (1969) interpretative-theoretical methodology, consisting of four phases that guide the collection and review of relevant literature: exploration, analysis, classification and explanation. As a comprehensive process, effective capacity building acknowledges that a capacity needs assessment occurs in response to some environmental stimulus. The subsequent identification of specific objectives for capacity building is followed by the generation and selection of a strategy(s) and consideration of multiple aspects of readiness to build capacity. The short-term impact and long-term maintenance of built capacity must be assessed following the implementation of the strategy(s) to build, with consideration of the implications for program and service delivery that address the initial stimulus. The model is described in the context of community sport organizations, however it is intended for broad application. Concepts and relationships presented in the model are relevant to the nonprofit voluntary organizational setting in general, while allowing for contextualization based on the unique factors and influences that may be involved in the process of building capacity. The paper concludes with consideration of how the model may be used in practice and directions for future research.