Working in the Sport Industry: A Classification of Human Capital Archetypes
in Journal of Sport ManagementClick name to view affiliation
As thousands of professionals are drawn to work in the sport industry known for celebrity, action, and excitement, a growing body of literature on the industry’s culture describes a field fraught with burnout, stress, and difficulty balancing work–family responsibilities. Given this contradiction, there is a need to better understand employee experiences. Thus, the authors utilized a human capital framework to develop employee archetypes. Results from a latent cluster analysis of National Collegiate Athletic Association athletics department employees (N = 4,324) revealed five distinct employee archetypes utilizing inputs related to human capital development and work experiences (e.g., work–family interface, work engagement, age). Consistent with creative nonfiction methodology, results are presented as composite narratives. Archetypes follow a career arc from early-career support staff to late-career senior leaders and portray an industry culture wherein the human capital is largely overworked, underpaid, and replete with personal sacrifice and regret.
Weight is with the Dept. of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Taylor is with Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Huml is with the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. Dixon is with Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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