Ethics in Junior Tennis:
An Examination of Environmental and Human Factors Associated with Junior Tennis Players’ Values and Sportsmanship
Keywords:
Ethics, Sport psychology, Racquet sports, Teaching, Coaching, Youth sportAbstract
The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the environmental and human factors that are associated with junior tennis players’ values and sportsmanship. Participants included 34 junior players from Southern California, many of whom were involved in intermediate- to advanced-level tennis. When playing tennis, junior players and parents highly valued morality and competence values, while moderately valued status values. Coaches frequently modeled, praised, and reinforced good sportsmanship, while they rarely emphasized winning. Correlational analyses found significant associations between junior players’ and parents’ moral and competence values. Junior players’ Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) was negatively associated with their own moral values, parents’ moral and competence values, and parent-initiated learning/enjoyment climate. Qualitative findings suggest that junior players appreciated opponents who are trustworthy and respectful and resented those who cheat and display poor sportsmanship. The significance of parents and the UTR in junior tennis players’ development of values and sportsmanship is discussed.
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