Sport identification, moral perceptions and collective action: A study with young football players

Abstract

We conducted a cross‐sectional study investigating whether sport identification predicts different forms of collective action intentions aimed to redress the unfavourable condition faced by disadvantaged individuals. In doing so, moral perceptions (moral convictions, moral violation and moral obligation) were tested as mediators. Participants were young football players from the grassroots of a professional Italian club (N = 111). Results revealed that sport identification was indirectly associated with greater willingness to engage in both normative and non‐normative solidarity‐based collective action via stronger moral obligation perceptions; moral convictions mediated the relationship between sport identification and normative collective action, while no mediation effects emerged for moral violation. We discuss findings in relation to collective action and sport research.

Your team can make you a better person: Team cohesion is associated with off‐field prosocial behaviour via fairplay team norms and empathy in rugby union

“…Understanding social dynamics in sport as a social context that offers occasions to engage in positive or negative behaviour towards others may lead to explaining how to transfer prosocial behaviour from on-field to off-field, that is, from sport to daily life. The present study not only provides an important theoretical and empirical contribution in this direction but, feeding into a small line of applicative research (e.g., Cocco et al, 2024), it provides indications for psychologists and practitioners on which underlying mechanisms might be key to transfer prosocial behaviour from the field to the general community, which is especially relevant in contexts where sports participation is strong. Research in this setting can offer valuable insights into how sport influences not only physical health, but also social interactions and community cohesion, thereby providing evidence to inform public health strategies, educational policies, and community development programs.…”