Antecedents and Outcomes of Sport Commitment: An Indian Cricket Case Study

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Antecedents and Outcomes of Sport Commitment: An Indian Cricket Case Study

Journal Title: International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology (IJRASET) - Year 2014, Vol 2, Issue 10

Abstract

There are two primary objectives of this paper. Firstly, to understand how cricket players conceptualize sport commitment and secondly, to investigate and model the factors that facilitate young cricket player’s commitment to respective sport. This paper intends to comprehend the understanding of sport commitment, identify the broader themes and build a conceptual model by examining the antecedents. Design/methodology/approach – Following a review of the sport commitment literature, an exploratory case study methodology was designed to understand the players understanding towards the concept of sport commitment and the positive outcomes of the same. Semi-structured interviews of ten professional cricket players were conducted using an interview guide that was created with considerations of existing research and gaps in the literature and transcripts were content analyzed. The essence of experiences was jointly combined into one unit. Findings – First, cricketers identified four distinct, yet related categories: passion for cricket, investment of time outside practice or training hours, to enhance and maintain professional knowledge, responsibility to perform with values being intact and optimal engagement. Secondly, three categories of sport commitment in cricket emerged: Individual, Social and Team. Enjoyment was recognized as the most important factor relating to commitment. Moreover, parental involvement and relationship with the coach emerged as relevant social support factors to enhance commitment. Interestingly, relationships with peers and communication with teammates emerged as important team factors. Besides, worries about pain or injury and worry about failure was identified as the most potential barriers to participation resulting in extremely low level of commitment. Research limitations/implications – Given the qualitative nature of the case study methodology, limited generalizations can be made as the purpose of case study research is to add to theory-building rather than to generalize to a population. There is a clear need for further empirical research. Such research could help quantify the nature of the relationships between the variables suggested and establish the extent to which the model might be generalized to other organizations. Practical implications – Overall, the application of the findings may help sport management personnel and cricket coaches to enhance their program or training by creating the environments that optimize enjoyment, commitment and well-being. By optimizing enjoyment, team dynamics and social support, coaches may help to enable young cricket players to reach their goals and become successful in the future. Further research is now recommended to assess the applicability of the conceptual model.

Authors and Affiliations

Navodita Mishra, T. J Kamalanabhan

Keywords

EP ID EP18938
DOI -
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