A Qualitative Study of Rugby Coaches’ Opinions about the Display of Moral Character

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to attain a deeper understanding of youth coaches’ attitudes toward the display of moral character (e.g., the values they try to teach their players, the concrete means they use to teach game rules, and prosocial norms) and to examine how they make rule abidance compatible with intensive efforts to achieve success. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 16 coaches of adolescent rugby teams. The interviews dealt with how values are taught to players and how rule following is enforced during practice and competition. A lexical analysis (Alceste software) and a thematic analysis were performed on the interview answers. The findings illustrate the complexity of the coaching role—coaches must impart a certain number of rules and ways of acting to their athletes while simultaneously inciting them to a high performance level that can lead players to go overboard in competitive situations.

Psychological Mechanisms Underlying Doping Attitudes in Sport: Motivation and Moral Disengagement

“…Consequently, these athletes focus more on the outcome of the game and "winning" to allow them to accomplish their goals of ego enhancement, fame, and rewards, and to satisfy their contingent self-esteem (Donahue et al, 2006). We argue that athletes with this strong emphasis on the outcome and winning will be tempted to do anything to win (Lucidi et al, 2008;Romand & Pantaleon, 2007) and as a result will have positive attitudes to using PEDs, be more susceptible to using PEDs (Gucciardi et al, 2010;Shermer, 2008), and to morally disengage (Lucidi et al, 2008). In support of this argument, previous research has shown controlled motivation to be positively linked to both moral disengagement and antisocial behaviors in sport (Hodge & Lonsdale, 2011), as well as to past use of PEDs (Barkoukis et al, 2011;Donahue et al, 2006).…”

“…With respect to the role of coach climate in athlete morality, Romand and Pantaleon (2007) revealed evidence of coaches being "very permissive about rule transgressions" (p. 73) regarding cheating and aggressive behaviors and that the rugby coaches in their study engaged in behaviors reminiscent of moral disengagement, such as displacement and diffusion of responsibility to others (e.g., referees, supporters, and professional players as role models). However, our coach climate results indicated that although there was a significant coach climate relationship with both PED variables, there was no significant relationship with moral disengagement-possibly due to the climate measure not being focused on a "morally permissive environment," but on controlling coach behaviors in general (such as "My coach intimidates me into doing the things that he/ she wants me to do").…”

“…The social context also plays an important role in determining moral thought and action (Bandura, 2002;Long, Pantaléon, Bruant, & d'Arripe-Longueville, 2006;Romand & Pantaleon, 2007;Shu, Gino, & Bazerman, 2011;Traclet, Romand, Moret, & Kavussanu, 2011;Zelli, Mallia, & Lucidi, 2010). Athletes who perceive a controlling team context may morally disengage by justifying the use of PEDs as a legitimate means to a desired end emphasized by the coach or teammates (e.g., to help my team win; Lazuras et al, 2010) or by displacing responsibility for their actions on to their coach or teammates (e.g., it's not my fault, my coach made me do it; Shermer, 2008).…”

Culture Change in Elite Sport Performance Teams: Examining and Advancing Effectiveness in the New Era

“…Reflecting their reported ability to shape the way in which group members perceive and behave (Romand & Pantaléon, 2007;Windsor, Barker & McCarthy, 2011) the most applicable areas of current knowledge appear to be leadership and team building.…”

Culture Change in a Professional Sports Team: Shaping Environmental Contexts and Regulating Power

“…While understanding in group dynamics can direct practitioners to what a high performing culture might look like, it therefore offers limited advice on how managers can negotiate the varied, contested, and conflicting perceptions which characterise professional performance teams and ensure that processes are accepted, internalised, and governed by its members (n.b., intervention which fails to deliver these latter results is temporarily imposing, not changing culture) [2]. Since leadership is considered to shape member perception and behaviour [11], some may assert that such knowledge does already exist. However, leadership work has so far not extensively considered the: a) selection, deployment, and evolution of behaviour in specific contexts; b) systems, processes, and mechanisms which professional team managers should deliver; and c) extent to which the action and reaction of performers, support staff, and external stakeholders (e.g., CEOs) impacts on present and future decision making [cf.…”