Journal of Sport Behavior

Development and Validation of the Running Identity Scale

2025-06-15T08:13:56-07:00

While a number of scales measure athletic identity, there are no instruments that evaluate the degree to which one identifies with the runner role. Therefore, the purpose of the current studies was to develop and validate a reliable and valid scale that assesses running identity. Drawing from two independent samples of runners (n = 437, n = 367), a multiphase study was employed to develop and preliminarily validate the Running Identity Scale (RIS). In Study 1, we developed an initial pool of items based on a literature review, Delphi technique, and pre-test. In Study 2, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis to identify an appropriate factor structure for the RIS, assessed the internal consistency, and examined the instrument’s validity. In Study 3, we employed a confirmatory factor analysis to confirm the factor structure, reliability, and validity found in Study 2. Together, the findings supported an 11-item, three-factor structure for the RIS. In both Study 2 and Study 3, the RIS exhibited good reliability and demonstrated positive moderate associations with both Athletic Identity Measurement Scale and Public-Private Athletic Identity Scale scores. Running identity and athletic identity appear to be related, yet distinct constructs. A valid and reliable measure of running identity holds promise in examining associations with exercise adherence, body image, disordered eating, exercise addiction, and several other variables of interest to sport and exercise psychology researchers.

A Comparison of Preferred Coach and Athlete Leadership Behaviors

2025-05-29T18:21:12-07:00

The present study compared preferences for coach and athlete leadership behaviors. Participants included 193 kinesiology students who were current or former athletes who rated their preferences for the frequency of leadership behaviors measured with the coach- and athlete leader-referent preferred-versions of the Leadership Scale for Sports (Chelladurai & Saleh, 1980) and Differentiated Transformational Leadership Inventory (Callow et al., 2009). Results showed a significant difference in preferences for coach and athlete leadership behaviors. Specifically, participants reported a preference for coaches to exhibit training and instruction, democratic behavior, positive feedback, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, fostering acceptance of group goals, high performance expectations, appropriate role modeling, and contingent reward more frequently than athlete leaders, and for athlete leaders to exhibit more autocratic behavior than coaches. No significant differences were reported for social support. Significant differences between preferences for specific coach behaviors and specific athlete leadership behaviors were reported. The order of preferred frequency for coach and athlete leadership behaviors is described. Findings highlight that coaches are viewed as the primary source of leadership and that transformational leadership is preferred most often. Implications for athlete leadership measurement research and how leaders can more optimally share leadership are presented.

Ethics in Junior Tennis:

2025-08-15T15:47:14-07:00

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.

Impact of Race and Performance on Major College Football Coach Retention

2025-06-27T09:19:01-07:00

Black head coaches in major college football are consistently underrepresented compared to the number of Black players. One factor that contributes to this underrepresentation is systemic racism. The retention of Black head coaches is impeded by this racism as evidenced by comparing the performance of Black head coaches with their non-Black counterparts. In this study, a longitudinal data set featuring the tenures of nearly 250 coaches is used to evaluate differences in major college football head coach retention based on race, while controlling for performance, between 1959 and 2021. The authors found that Black coaches were more than 50% less likely to be retained when compared to their non-Black counterparts. Beyond this investigation of systemic racism in the sport industry, the findings offer insights for sport administrators as it relates to the student-athlete experience as well as fiscal management, particularly given increased costs for contractual buyouts of underperforming coaches.

Finishing How They Started:

2025-07-15T10:26:25-07:00

Every year millions of people fill out NCAA men’s Division I basketball tournament brackets hoping to select as many winners as possible. While consistently choosing the better seed to win may be a safe strategy, many research efforts have tried to improve upon this approach. Some of these efforts use complex data and advanced statistical methods, making the process inaccessible to the common fan. Other research uses simpler but more understandable data and techniques. We build on this latter approach and introduce a new measurement system to assess underperformance or overperformance of a given team. This research provides a data-informed way to identify possible upsets. Our research identifies one very significant variable in predicting team performance in the tournament: the team’s preseason ranking. We also find that teams who win their conference tournament often underperform, perhaps due to recency bias and receiving an inflated seed.