ABSTRACT

Aim: This study aims to investigate the relationship between the concepts of sportsmanship and happiness with the participation of the team players who took part in the 1st and 2nd league competitions of Hockey 5S U16 Championships organized by the Turkish Hockey Federation.

Methods: Relational screening model, one of the general screening models, was used in this study. The study population consisted of teams who participated in the U16 Hockey 5S 1st and 2nd league competitions organized by the Turkish Hockey Federation, though the sample group was selected by convenience sampling method. The study group involved a total of 181 licensed hockey players, 83 of whom were women and 98 men, who volunteered to participate in the research. The descriptive statistics in the study, the Independent-Samples T test was used for paired comparisons. Pearson's correlation and regression tests were applied in line with the relational model.

Results: As a result of the study, it can be assumed that there are differences in terms of sportsmanship orientation and extent of happiness of hockey athletes according to demographic characteristics, and that there are positive and statistically significant relationships between ‘happiness’ and the sub-dimensions of the concept of sportsmanship such as ‘compliance with social norms’, ‘respect for rules and management’, ‘adherence to social responsibilities’, and ‘respect for one’s opponents’.

Conclusion: İn explaining the effect of the sportsmanship orientations on happiness, it must be noted that ‘adherence to social responsibilities’ and ‘respect for one’s opponents’ have a significantly positive contribution to happiness, and that higher levels of happiness of athletes can be attributed to their increased contribution to sportsmanship values (adherence to social responsibilities and respect for one’s opponents).

Keywords: Athletes, Sportsmanship, Happiness