Contextual Variables Affect Running Performance in Professional Soccer Players: A Brief Report

This study aimed to investigate the effects of contextual variables on running performance in Brazilian professional soccer players. Twenty male players from one club participating in the 1st Division of the Brazilian soccer championship were analyzed during 35 matches. Global Positioning System was used to determine total distance (TD) covered, distance covered and actions in high intensity and sprinting, and the number of accelerations, and decelerations. The independent variables used were match location, match outcome, opposition ranking, change of head coach, and distance traveled to play the matches. Total distance was higher in a way than home matches (9,712 vs. 9,533 m; p ≤ 0.05), and losses than draws and wins (9,846 vs. 9,400 vs. 9,551 m; p ≤ 0.05), whereas distance in sprinting was higher in draws than losses (203 vs. 175 m; p ≤ 0.01). Changing the head coach during the season resulted in overall lower distance covered in high intensity, sprinting, high-intensity actions (p ≤ 0.01), and decelerations (p ≤ 0.05). Higher values for distance covered in sprinting and high intensity were found in matches without travel compared to those with long-travel (p ≤ 0.05). Overall, running performance was affected by the location, match outcome, change of head coach, and distance traveled during the season.

When the going gets tough, the tough are let go? The effects of political ideology on leader tenure in organisations

Purpose Drawing on moral foundations theory (MFT), this paper aims to examine the relationship between community-level political ideology, organisational performance and leader tenure by proposing and testing an “ideology-authority hypothesis” wherein political ideology moderates the relationship between organisational performance decline and leader tenure in organisations. Design/methodology/approach The authors used archival data pertaining to the performance of teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA), the tenure of the head coaches and the voting record of the communities in which the teams are located. The authors used hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) to test the relationships among these variables at multiple levels. Findings The results provided empirical support for the “ideology-authority hypothesis”. Specifically, the magnitude of team winning percentage decrease from the previous season is positively associated with the tenure of the head coach in teams located in more conservative communities but not in teams located in more liberal communities. Originality/value This study examines leadership stability and change by highlighting the moral foundation of authority/subversion. The findings also illustrate the importance of a community-level variable – the general political climate of the community in which an organisation is embedded – in organisational decision-making.

The interaction between servant leadership and organizational culture: an NCAA Division III case study

PurposeServant leadership is primarily focused on the empowerment and moral development of followers (Burton et al., 2017). Within sports research, little is known about how servant leadership interacts with organizational culture in teams. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the servant leadership of one head baseball coach and examine the degree to which servant leadership affects the program's culture.Design/methodology/approachData were collected for this case study of an NCAA Division III head baseball coach throughout one academic year. Sources included 12 interviews (ranging from four minutes to 92 min), observation of practices and games, textual analysis of documents and websites, as well as the coach's reflection journal. Data were analyzed using a six-phase process of thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006).FindingsThe participant exhibited the following servant leadership behaviors: empowering, helping subordinates grow and succeed, behaving ethically, and conceptual skills (Liden et al., 2015, 2008). In addition, the program maintained a culture featuring a few distinct artifacts, very clear espoused values, and three deeply held basic assumptions. The findings suggest that the head coach used servant leadership not to create or change culture but instead to amplify the existing culture of the baseball program.Originality/valueThere is strong evidence of a link between servant leadership and team culture, which is context-bound. At the Division III level, servant leadership behaviors can be used to embody a program's culture. Furthermore, through this embodiment, servant leaders can perpetuate an effective, functioning team culture, particularly within intercollegiate athletics.

Malign and covert nationalism within British newspapers reporting of Eddies Jones’ appointment as head coach of the men's England national rugby union team

The appointment of Eddie Jones as the England men's rugby union head coach in 2015 was significant because he was the first foreign-born individual to occupy this role. After sourcing 136 British newspaper articles published one week either side of Jones’ official announcement for his appointment on 20th November 2015, this study identified three overarching themes for how narratives of this event were framed: (a) negativity and the loss of national identity; (b) positivity and need for cultural change underscored with conditional acceptance; and (c) declinism with the need for succession planning. Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus, embodied cultural and symbolic capital were drawn upon to theorise how much of the media initially rejected Jones’ appointment. The results indicated an overt and xenophobic ‘Little Englander’ narrative was first presented by some journalists based on Jones’ perceived Australian habitus and capital not reflecting the cultural values attached to English rugby union. Even when reports were positive, binary ‘one of our own/us’ and ‘outsider/them’ narratives represented symbolic violence through a malign ‘Little Englander’ attitude, albeit one that is a more covert form of discrimination than has previously been reported. Recommendations for continued analyses that acknowledge temporality within this discipline are finally presented.

Time to Say Goodbye: A Duration Analysis of the Determinants of Coach Dismissals and Quits in Major League Soccer

This study investigates the determinants of voluntary and involuntary head coach turnovers using a large dataset of some 6,500 coach-game observations from Major League Soccer over 2004–2019. The duration analysis results show that team performance related to expected playoff qualification and performance expectations matter for both types of separations. Moreover, the findings reveal that coach reputation decreases dismissal probabilities, while coach age increases quit rates. The results of this study will be of particular interest to Major League Soccer team owners and managers as well as for business management outside the sports industry.

Examining the Roles and Consequent Decision-Making Processes of High-Level Strength and Conditioning Coaches

Research into sports coaches has identified the valuable role they play concerning social support provided to athletes together with their contribution to social and cultural interactions within both the participation and performance domains. The purpose of the present study was to qualitatively extract and examine the knowledge and on-task cognitions of high-level coaches (HLCs) within strength and conditioning (S and C). Applied cognitive task analysis (ACTA) was used to examine ten HLCs, each purposefully sampled to reflect over eight years of work in full time environments. The analysis of responses demonstrated HLCs engage in a pattern of innovative and diverse thinking, together with adaptability and multilevel planning, designed to promote an inclusive approach from performers, coaches and management. Commonality was demonstrated within the decision making of HLCs during the design of training programs. Communication was another important consideration when connecting with athletes, observing athletes, speaking to the head coach and integrating their approach with others. A confident, flexible approach to adapting to situational demands was evident and supported by the ability to recall and select from a wide range of previously learnt and tested strategies. Evidence is offered for the importance of interpersonal and social factors in HLCs’ relationships with athletes and coaches. The incorporation of strategies to support versatile, dynamic decision making within future S and C coach development materials will support more impactful performances by coaches at all stages of the coaching process.

Analyzing Chief Selector-cum-Head Coach Misbah’s Virgin Press Edict through CDA Vibes

This paper aims to reconnoitre multifaceted aspects of Fairclough’s three-faceted Critical Discourse Analysis model with its application on Misbah’s Virgin press edict when he was appointed Chief Selector-cum-Head Coach of Cricket Team of Pakistan-by-Pakistan Cricket Board, PCB (DAWN, Press Release December 05, 019). This paper snapshots the cogent and logical subterfuges of newly appointed Selector-cum-Head Coach Misbah’s’ public speaking enshrined in the inaugural press edict in Dan News. It also pronounces the camouflage agenda of the speech to be revealed critically. It dawns upon the people how language manipulation works wonders and influences the people's minds in society.