Abstract
Building upon athletes’ positive attributes recognized by the theory of deliberate practice and research in sports psychology, this study examines the relationship between a person’s participation in competitive sports during formative years and the propensity for creating a new venture later in life. The analysis of the biographies of 2,084 American executives reveals that individuals who participated in competitive sports in their youth are more likely to become entrepreneurs. Our research indicates that participation in individual sports (such as tennis, running, and swimming), but not in team sports, drives the results. Moreover, being a star youth athlete further enhances the likelihood of entrepreneurial action. Thus, we contribute to research on personal characteristics in entrepreneurship by shedding light on the relevance and importance of an athletic background and qualities developed through sports to entrepreneurs. We discuss the practical policy implications of our findings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 42 |
| Journal | Journal of Small Business Management |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 7 Jun 2022 |
Bibliographical note
We would like to thank Professor Martie-Louise Verreynne for her editorial guidance along with the anonymous reviewers. Additionally, we are very grateful to Dr. Paul Kossman for his assistance with editing the manuscript. Kirill Pervun thanks his coaches and athlete-friends without whom this research article would not be possible.UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Keywords
- deliberate practice
- new venture creation
- Sports psychology
- youth athletes
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