Abstract
Coaches play a central role in shaping athletes’ psychosocial development (PD). While they often exert direct influence, coaches also rely on athlete leaders, although their contribution to PD remains underexplored. The Full Range Leadership Model (FRLM)—which categorizes leadership as laissez-faire, transactional, or transformational—posits that transformational leadership (TFL) is most effective because it initiates a “cascade effect,” wherein leadership diffuses through a team as followers emulate their leaders. This study is the first to test the cascade effect in sport using a longitudinal design. We examined (a) whether coaches’ TFL behaviors predict the emergence of transformational athlete leader networks over time, and (b) whether these networks mediated the relationship between coach leadership and athletes’ PD. Thirty U SPORTS athletes (Mage = 20.47, SD = 1.98; Female, 66.7%; Male, 33.3%; Caucasian, 93.3%, Black/African, 3.3%, Mixed, 3.3%). Athletes reported on coach TFL (DTLI), transformational leadership among teammates, and PD outcomes (USES). Correlations showed that higher coach TFL was associated with fewer negative sport-related experiences (e.g., stress, exclusion, inappropriate adult behavior) in sport. Teams with denser networks of transformational athlete leaders reported greater initiative, basic skills, and social capital. Although baseline coach TFL did predict a cascade effect, increases in coach TFL from preseason to midseason were associated with an increase in athlete leadership during the same period and greater athlete leadership at midseason. Notably, athlete leadership did not mediate the relationship between coach TFL and PD outcomes. Findings offer novel insight into leadership dynamics in university sport.
