Model of the mediating effect of team pride in the relationship between transformational leadership and sports activity loyalty

Objective: Athletes participate in sports with affection and attachment. Although the dependence of people's perception of sports activity loyalty on environmental factors has been investigated, the relationship between sports activity loyalty's psycho-sociological variables is not yet well-understood. The current study aims to test the relationships among transformational leadership, pride, and sports activity loyalty perceived by Taekwondo athletes. Methods: Transformational leadership, pride, and sports activity loyalty were measured in 263 college Taekwondo athletes who participated in the 29th National University Taekwondo Individual Championships in 2022. SPSS 23.0, PROCESS Macro (V.2.13), and Amos 23.0 programs were used for data analysis. Results: Transformational leadership exerted a positive influence on sports activity loyalty in Taekwondo athletes and a positive influence on authentic pride; however, it decreased hubristic pride. Authentic pride exerted a positive influence on sports activity loyalty but had no effect on hubristic pride. By verifying the mediating effect based on the direct effect, it was proven that transformational leadership was a factor which positively affected sports activity loyalty by mediating authentic pride. Conclusions: The results of this study imply that it is necessary to strengthen sports activity loyalty by respecting athletes’ opinions, enhancing their autonomy, and improving their authentic pride of the athletes by demonstrating transformational leadership in the Taekwondo community to perceive the athletes’ sports activity loyalty.