Human Resource Management in Sports

Current Issue

By Issue

By Author

By Subject

Author Index

Keyword Index

About Journal

Aims and Scope

Editorial Board

Publication Ethics

Indexing and Abstracting

Related Links

FAQ

Peer Review Process

Journal Metrics

News

Identification and Design of the Myth Formation to Myth Stability Process in Athletes

Authors

1 PhD student in Sports Management, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Sports Management Department, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Sports Management, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

4 Professor of Sports Management Department of Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Objective: The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying and designing the mythology to mythology stability process in athletes.

Methodology: The present research method was mixed. The statistical sample of the qualitative part included experts knowledgeable about the research topic. In order to identify these samples, the purposive sampling method was used. This sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached and finally 19 people were identified as samples in the qualitative part. Also, the statistical population of the present study in the quantitative part included coaches, sports teachers, families, athletes, fans and the general public of the sports community. The data collection tool in the present study included a semi-structured questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire. In order to analyze the data of the present study, coding and structural equation testing were used. All data analysis processes of the present study were carried out in SPSS, PLS and Maxqda software.

Results: The results of the research showed that the process of the emergence of mythology to the stability of mythology includes components such as maintenance, symbolization, consolidation of mythology, living myth, dead myth, destruction, doubt and the end of mythology. According to the relationships, it was determined that maintenance has a significant effect on symbolization of 0.886 and symbolization has a significant effect on the consolidation of mythology of 0.896.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References
  1. Müller S, Meier H E, Gerke M, Mutz M. Public support for athlete activism in Germany: A survey experiment. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2024; 59(3): 321-342. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902231202193.
  2. Parrott S. This Is Sports Story… This Is a Life Story: Elite Athletes and Myths About Mental Illness in Sport. International Journal of Sport Communication, 2023; 16(4): 423-434. DOI: 1123/ijsc.2023-0075.
  3. Berg K, Harthcock A. Brett Favre is a god”: Sports fans’ perpetuation of mythology on newspaper websites. Sports fans, identity, and socialization: Exploring the fandemonium. 2012; 137-48.
  4. Fadaeideh Cheshmeh M, Hosseininia SR, Rahmati MM, Bagheri H. Gender and discrimination: a study about female athletes. Research in Sport Management and Marketing. 2025; 6(1):125-41. [In Persian]. DOI: 22098/RSMM.2024.15654.1395.
  5. Forrest D. These sporting lives: David Storey, Barry Hines, and the case of the author-athlete. Sport in Society. 2025; 7:1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2025.2450799.
  6. Allen S V, Hopkins W G. Age of peak competitive performance of elite athletes: a systematic review. Sports medicine, 2015; 45, 1431-1441. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0354-3.
  7. Allado E, Poussel M., Hily O, Chenuel B. The interest of rehabilitation of respiratory disorders in athletes: myth or reality? Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 2022; 65(4): 101-121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rehab.2020.101461.
  8. Aydin S B. A review of abortion doping discussion in athletes: is it a truth or a myth? Crimson Publishers, 2021; 4-12. DOI:10.31031/prm.2021.04.000599.
  9. Lemez S, Baker J. Do elite athletes live longer? A systematic review of mortality and longevity in elite athletes. Sports Medicine Open, 2015; 1, 1-14.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-015-0024-x.
  10. Li B, Scott O K, Naraine M L, Ruihley B J. Tell me a story: Exploring elite female athletes’ self-presentation via an analysis of Instagram Stories. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 2021; 21(2):108-120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2020.1837038.
  11. Garthe I. Dietary supplements and elite athletes: when nature becomes high risk. Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research, 2019;9, 66-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coemr.2019.07.004.
  12. Orlowski J, Herter M, Wicker P. The commodification and commercialization of elite athletes. When sport meets business: Capabilities, challenges, critiques, 2017; 43-56. DOI: http://digital.casalini.it/9781473987418.
  13. Aprile R, Nicoliello M, Durst S. Framing intellectual capital for elite athletes. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 2022; 23(7): 1-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JIC-05-2021-0126.
  14. Antonucci G, Della Porta A, Venditti M. The value of the elite athlete as influencer in the era of social media. In ECIIC 2019, 10th European Conference on Intangibles and Intellectual Capital (p. 25). Academic Conferences and Publishing Limited 2019.
  15. Schmid M J, Örenci M., Schmid J, Conzelmann A. Linking sports-related and socio-economic resources of retiring Olympic athletes to their subsequent vocational career. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 2023; 58(5): 809-828. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902221123881.
  16. Stokvis R. Globalization, commercialization, and individualization: Conflicts and changes in elite athletics. Culture, Sport Society, 2000; 3(1): 22-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14610980008721860.
  17. Swann C, Moran A, & Piggott D. Defining elite athletes: Issues in the study of expert performance in sport psychology. Psychology of sport and exercise, 2015;16, 3-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2014.07.004.
  18. Hasaan A, Javani V, Fişne M, Sato S. Athlete branding in less popular sport: a triadic approach. PODIUM Sport, Leisure and Tourism Review, 2020; 9(4): 70-96. DOI:10.5585/podium.v9i4.17580.
  19. Meier H E, Gerke M, MüllerS, Mutz M. The public legitimacy of elite athletes’ political activism: German survey evidence. International Political Science Review, 2024; 45(4): 472-489. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/019251212311869.
  20. Haugen K, Solberg H Doping in elite sports: the athletes' perspective. In the Research Handbook on Major Sporting Events. Edward Elgar Publishing. 2024:  1 (3): 635-646. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800885653.00060.
  21. Kovacs A, Doczi T. Elite athletes and media appearances: opportunity or obligation? Sport in Society, 2020; 23(7): 1136-1145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2019.1599861.
  22. Konjer M, Mutz M, Meier H E. Talent alone does not suffice: Erotic capital, media visibility and global popularity among professional male and female tennis players. Journal of Gender Studies, 2019; 28(1):3-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2017.1365696.
  23. Lashua B, Baker S, Glover TD. Leisure myths and mythmaking: Introduction to the special issue. InLeisure Myths and Mythmaking 2022 10 November (pp. 1-10). Routledge.
  24. Eisen G, Turner D. Myth & reality: Social mobility of the American Olympic athletes. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. 1992 Jun; 27(2):165-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/101269029202700206.
  25. Geurin A. N. Elite female athletes' perceptions of new media use related to their careers: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Sport Management, 2017; 31(4): 345-359. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2016-0157.
  26. Rasquinha A M, Cardinal B J. Association of Athletic Identity by Competitive Sport Level and Cultural Popularity. Journal of Sport Behavior, 2017; 40(2): 1-11.DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2006.04.004.
  27. Loland S. Simon on luck and desert in sport: A review and some comments. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 2016; 43(1): 15-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2015.1119048.
  28. Krumm B, Vallance B, Burke L, Garcia J, Bouten J, Brocherie F, Faiss R. High‐level performances following low altitude training and tapering in warm environments in elite racewalkers.European Journal of Sport Science, 2024; 24(8): 1120-1129. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2010.529922.
  29. Osmond G. Mythmaking in Australian sport history: Re-evaluating Duke Kahanamoku's contribution to surfing. Australian Historical Studies. 2011 Jun 1;42(2):260-276. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2010.529922.
  30. Bromberg JA. Sport and peace: Panhellenic mythmaking and the modern Olympics. Brill's Companion to the reception of rhetoric. Leiden: Brill. 2021:356-378. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1031461X.2010.529922.
Human Resource Management in Sports
Volume 13, Issue 1
January 2026
Pages 109-125
Files
Share
How to cite
Statistics