On the effects of the social context on behavioral intentions of sportsmanship

Much research indicates that a major source of influence on the display of moral behavior is the social context within which behavior is to be emitted. The purpose of this study was to test the generality of this finding with respect to one specific type of sportsmanship behavior, namely concern for the opponent. Two elements of the social context were assessed, namely the subjective expected utilities (or anticipated consequences) associated with performing the sportsmanship behavior and whether athletes were engaged in individual or team sports. Male and female athletes (N-528) from team and individual sports were asked to indicate the extent to which they would display behavior in line with a concern for the opponent in two situations. In the first situation utilities for displaying concern for the opponent were low (displaying concern for the opponent would entail losing the match). In the second situation utilities for displaying concern for the opponent were moderate (displaying concern for the opponent prevented a win but did not assure a loss). Results revealed the presence of utilities and types of sports main effects. These main effects were superseded by a utilities X types of sport interaction. This interaction revealed that team-sport athletes showed low levels of concern for the opponent irrespective of the situation. On the other hand, individual-spout athletes (although showing move concern for the opponent than team-spout athletes in both utilities situations) showed significantly more concern for the opponent in the moderate than in the low utilities situation. The present findings underscore the fundamental importance of the social context in sportsmanship behavior.