A Sociological Study on Athletics’ Sports Journey and Support Team Role in Sports Personalities Development.

A Sociological Study on Athletics’ Sports Journey and Support Team Role in Sports Personalities Development.

Dr. Lini Baruah

Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2025.12030067

Received: 21 March 2025; Revised: 29 March 2025; Accepted: 02 April 2025; Published: 13 April 2025

ABSTRACT

The sports personalities journey a long way before win a medal. The recognition as leading player required year long practice, sacrifices behind to win a medal in prestigious platform. The performance of an athletic depends not only on nutrition, diet, weight management and role of team working behind their success, it also require player sacrifices. The team and athletic are concern about food, nutrient such as vitamins, supplement and carbohydrate intake in a day. There are lots of issues related with sport personalities failure such as drop test failed, weight slabs failed, failed to qualify for a prestigious sports event, sponsorship issues, ethics, facility maintenance, public management, and financial management, etc. Here, the recent example is Vinesh Phogat who failed to maintain weight in last minute in Paris Olympic but she success to defeat Japanese opponent in Olympic semifinal who never loss any international bout in her carrier. The methodology of the study- the study is based on primary as well as secondary data. Primary data are basic data which are collected from field visit; interact with respondents etc. and secondary data are relevant materials that assist to get required information regarding the topic. The objective of the study- To Know sports personalities discipline and role of team towards success. The study carries sports personality’s issues and strengths behind their success.

Key Words : Sports, Development, Role, Management, Sacrifice, Strength.

INTRODUCTION

The subject sociology discuss about society, social relationship, behaviour, social network, culture, structure, values, and everyday life of human. Sociology study social life, social change, and social development. The subject sports sociology discuss about social interaction, social relationship, social values related with sports, role, inner group, outer group, and social network related with sports. The word team means in sports events a group of people work or play together to achieve a common goal or achieve success over opponent. The games like, kabaddi, cricket, football, baseball, hockey etc. are play in group. (Haralambos M., 2014). The player perform different role to maintain alignment in group game. There are different type of team such as cross-functional teams, self managed team, self directing teams, functional teams, matrix teams, virtual teams, and multidisciplinary teams etc. The cross-functional teams are those which made up of member from different departments bring together with unique perspectives. The self-managed teams are work by direct supervision and fulfill task by self autonomy. The self-directing teams determine its objectives, lead to innovation and motivate team members. The functional teams made up of people with similar skills from same department to fulfill specific task. The matrix teams facilitate cooperation between departments. The virtual teams are connected with assistance of technology. It helps to utilize global resources. The multidisciplinary teams made up of diverse professional background and perspectives.

The sports personalities are grows with support and assistance of team, work behind their achievements. A team work in a sports persons career development such as parents emotional support and economic support in initial career to economic support from sponsor companies to maintain athletic requirement like proper cloth, shoes, food, nutrition supplement, travel expanses etc,. There are always a media manager required to handle unnecessary controversies of athlete. The physiotherapist play a crucial role to maintain physical fitness of an athlete. The support of sports association in selection to represent in prestigious sports events of outside country plays an important role. (Bhattacharyya, D. K., 2004).

Effective Team Management:

The development of effective team management require good communication, renovation of old ideas and creativity. To proper channelization of team require clear short term and long term goal. The priorities and strategies of the team should be clear for further improvement. Team leader require to analysis regular feedback of its member to identify areas of improvement. To build trust among members distribution of work should be proper. Team leader responsibility to choose right person to right job. It is quality of good leader who encourage its member to maintain good communication among members. The conflict resolution is part of good leadership. It is natural when a group of people working for same goal conflict may arise, how effectively it is solve it depend on members who are in leadership. When communication between members are in a good position naturally that team achieve success in events.

Team management is capability of a person to identify problem, conflict and try to solve it. Effective team management is important in sports because success requires individual and collective effort. The well manage team can maintain performance. Clear, open communication is required in sports between players, coaches and staff to maintain consistency and promotion of cooperation. Regular team meeting required to maintain productive communication. The sports success depend on strong team culture such as clear vision, values and belief to collaborate success and to overcome obstacles. The team member work collaboratively to create team culture that values cooperation, respect and good conduct. In team games to develop each player collaboration is crucial. The sports management and coaches those who provide equal chance to potential players they are more successful as team. The sports events require specialize training, specific coaching and equal chance towards athlete to nurture potential. Team with supportive atmosphere perform well, so coaches, management and players should try to establish good atmosphere by setting valuable culture. (Srivastava S., and Sudha Rani K., 2016).

The sports managers are person who responsible for healthy growth of relation between athletes and sports organization. They manage professional sports team. People can become sports manager by acquire degree in sports management. The sports manager manage career of athletes by focusing public relations, marketing and negotiating trades. They work mostly behind the scenes and intermediaries between players, coaches and media. The sports manager handle athletic training, ensure team and coach compliance. It is sport mangers responsibility to schedule practice and travel for coach, athlete and staff. They act as representative to media, coach, staff with other athlete. They make balance to team income against salaries, equipment costs, travel costs and other expanses. Sports manager make athletes documented public appearances, press conference, advertisement shoots and events. They arrange brands, donors for promotional deals, endorsement, community development programme and media interaction. (Sing, R., P. and Sukhjit, S., 2022).

Impact of Sports Manager role on Athlete Performance:

The sports manager create environment where athlete get resource, support and guidance to excel in sports. They arrange athlete training programme, manage injuries, and recovery. It managing business aspect of athlete, manage how athlete train, perform and recover. The sports manager is behind the scene that develop athlete to achieve best. The effective sports management collectively create environment for athlete excellence which includes training schedules, facilities, sports equipment, managing logistic details for events. The sport manager role is vital in managing sponsors, media partner and supportive network for athlete. Sport manager reduce athlete load and support to concentrate on performance to make professional career. Sports manager collaborate with coaching and trainer to get customize training for athlete. The team effort provide strength, enhance skill, strategic training plan which are necessary for athlete development. An athlete journey involves sponsor commitments, media interactions, endorsement, advertisement and above all maintaining high standard performance. During injuries it is sports manager responsibility to provide medical facilities, training, care and recovery programs. The physical and mental strength are essential part of sports, so sports manager arrange psychologist to provide training to enhance focus and positive mindset. An athlete performance depend on nutrition and lifestyle choice. Sports manager work with nutritionist to develop personalize diet to fulfill specific need of athlete. The lifestyle management ensure player required recovery period to maintain good physical condition. An athlete training includes data analysis, medical analysis, video analysis to get detail athlete performance. (Lone, S., A., 2021).

Sports manager take care business side of the sports. Player no need to stress on travel expanses and sports equipment’s if manager handle that properly. Sports business is inter-related with player good performance. Now a days competition are tough between player, the business mindedness and entrepreneur skill solve lots of problem. The sports manager is an individual who organize, manage, look after player expanses, reduce player stress and work behind player success. How fund raise and utilize it best possible way for future expanses is sports managers responsibility. Players are always required to maintain physical as well as mental fitness. To maintain continuity in performance player needs lots of money. There are lots of ways to have money, like brand endorsement, advertisement, media interaction, private and company sponsor. There are need of proper schedule to make a balance between professional and personal events. Player need to maintain proper diet, nutrition, training, psychological and mental health. The role of manager played by professional manger or parents play the role of manager in initial stage of sports person career. Professional manager handle that more efficiently, player should maintain career high points to afford professional sports manager. Sports organization look after lots of player at one time.  They much distribute organization wealth among them equally which also require lots of funds. Professional manager look after right from physical training to brand endorsement and try to raise fund to fulfill expanses. It reduce mental presser to player to maintain wealth to continue professional career. All are inter related right from player physical fitness, raise fund, maintain good relation with media, training and coach fees expanses. There are again stress of selection, stress to get fund to represent country in prestigious sports events. There are lots of potential sports players, to get selection is again a very tough job. Those who are success in maintain continuity and success to get recognizance or medal they get further sponsorship for future projects. If someone fail to achieve success there are more possibility to get further failure. If someone fail sponsorship cut, do not get renewal, do not offer new sponsorship. If someone fail, the continuity of failure may arise due to mental pressure. To overcome from all obstacle, player need lots of support from family, media, sports organization and sponsor er. Those who successful to overcome all obstacle come in front of their path, that player create history, get name and fame. (Sing, R., P. and Sukhjit, S., 2022).

Role of Gender in Sports:

Gender of a person plays crucial role in sports. Sometime it shows that some sports personalities change gender to get required success in sports. Naturally men have more strength then women. The athlete of third gender has more strength then women player. During travel to participate in different sports events, the parents concern with women athletics is higher then man. It notice that some women athletic have complain about sexual exploitation during their sports career by their fellow mate, guide, manager and selection committee members. Economic burden is always a concern for male as well as female sports personalities with gendered exploitation. (Bhatia R., (2021 ).

Sports as Organization:

The sports is developed as organization because many people earn their living from sports related jobs. People get engagement as field worker from preparing a sports ground to maintain it heath for future purposes. The sports authority job not only confine to player selection it provide job engagement to other also. Like, travel arrangement for player to requite diver for specific vehicle, cleaner and butler for the player. People earn money by sports related job like physical trainer, helper, sports manager, media manager and travel agent. The relation and formation of inner group in between sports player are necessary requirement to get required success. (French W., L., Bell, C., H., Jr., and Vohra V. (2017).

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