Abstract
Status has been defined as the amount of importance or prestige possessed by or accorded to individuals by virtue of their position in relation to others (Jacob & Carron, 1994). Jacob and Carron (1997) found the most important sources of status in university-level sport teams are competitive experience, performance ability, and team role. The present study assessed whether athletes differing in the status attributes of performance ability and team role would differ in level of harmonious and obsessive passion for their sport (Vallerand et al. 2003). Performance ability was operationalized through starting status; team role through leadership status. University-level athletes (n = 370) completed the Passion Scale (Vallerand et al., 2003) and questionnaires pertaining to leadership and starting status. A MANOVA with passion as the dependent variable and leadership status as the independent variable showed formal leaders (captains) had higher levels of harmonious passion than informal leaders (F(4, 365) = 5.40, p < .01) as well as non-leaders(F(4, 365) = 6.50, p < .01). A similar MANOVA but with starting status as the independent variable showed starters had higher levels of harmonious passion than non-starters (F(1, 368) = 7.08 p < .01). There were no differences in obsessive passion between athletes differing in either leadership or starting status (p > .05).
