The effect of referees' prosocial behavior techniques on promoting sportsmanship and fun in youth basketball players

This study examined the effects of referees' prosocial behavior techniques on promoting sportsmanship and increasing fun in youth basketball players. Participants included ten teams of 3rd and 4th grade students and seven teams of 7th and 8th grade students involved in a youth basketball league located in an urban community center. Two sets of referees oversaw the game environments. The control referees were either hired from the local referee association, or from the local community center. The treatment referees were trained in techniques consistent with prosocial behavior and, more specifically, norm reactivation. Observers collected data on sportsmanship behavior exhibited during treatment and control situations. Participants were also asked how much "fun" they had following each game. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling techniques and revealed that teams who participated in games in which treatment referees oversaw the environment demonstrated more positive behaviors (t = 4.33, p < 0.01) and fewer negative sportsmanship behaviors (t = -2.25, p = 0.03) than those teams being officiated by control referees. Implications for future research as well as applications for referees, sport associations, and community centers are discussed.