Dissertation
TRUST AND THRESHOLDS: EXAMINING ATHLETIC RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH A LENS OF SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000002419
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/120142
Abstract
Interpersonal relationships are crucial to athletic performance. This parallel qualitative and quantitative multi-method study examines student-athlete relationships with coaches, teammates, community, and the sport itself. The central tenets of the interpersonal communication Social Exchange Theory (SET) state that when undergoing a decision regarding future behaviors and interpersonal relationships, people weigh the perceived costs and the perceived benefits in an equation (cost-benefit analysis) to analyze if the perceived benefits of behavior or relationship is worth the perceived costs. To analyze this in the context of non-scholarship high-contact athletes playing National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III football, I used a qualitative framework to explore the lived experiences of NCAA student-athletes. Cost-benefit analysis among non-scholarship football players indicates two stages of risk reassessment where football players consider quitting. Once they enter the third stage, athletes suggest nothing would prevent them from continuing their playing careers, suggesting that once the athlete gets past the second stage of risk reassessment, they have determined the costs of playing a high-contact sport with greater risk of injury are worth the friendships and “the Brotherhood” that is formed among the teammates. According to SET, in interpersonal relationships the key attribute that distinguishes relationships that continue and do not is trust. To explore trust in NCAA student-athlete/coach relationships, I employed a qualitative analysis using NCAA data set collected in 2010. The data indicates that, when controlling for gender, perceived ethics, individual-level communication, and willingness to share personal information are related to trust in a coach. This is vital information for coaches and administrators on the collegiate level, and for risk communicators working with athletes in a team environment. These parallel studies yield data that shows how high-contact sport athletes think about risk and relationships in the context of athletics, and the importance of trust between coaches and athletes which could potentially lead to higher success on and off the field.
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Details
- Title
- TRUST AND THRESHOLDS: EXAMINING ATHLETIC RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH A LENS OF SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY
- Creators
- Colin Harrell Storm
- Contributors
- Amanda Boyd (Advisor)Jessica Willoughby (Committee Member)Traci Gillig (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 95
- Identifiers
- 99900606754001842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation