Personality Profiles of North American Professional Football Players
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Personality Profiles of North American Professional Football Players Nancy A. Schaubhut, David A.C. Donnay, and Richard C. Thompson CPP, Inc This study used a sample of 812 North American professional football players who completed the CPI 260™ assessment. Average profiles for selected groups of players were evaluated. Logistic regression and discriminant function analyses were used to examine personality differences among groups of players, including several positions, and offense versus defense. Personality is typically measured positions of the same sport (Cox & Yoo, using a self-report questionnaire on which 1995; Kirkcaldy, 1982), and personality respondents indicate their feelings or characteristics of athletes of specific sports behaviors, yielding measurements of traits such as tennis (Gondola & Wughalter, such as neuroticism, anxiety, extraversion, 1991), wrestling (Silva, 1985), rugby (Golby dominance, assertiveness, sensitivity, & Sheard, 2004), and acrobatics (Bai & conscientiousness, and agreeableness. Meng, 2000). Personality either predicts or is related to many things, including performance Some researchers have focused on motivation (Judge & Ilies, 2002), leadership personalities of college football players. (Judge, Bono, Ilies, & Gerhardt, 2002; Personality differences have been found Hogan & Kaiser, 2005), and job between successful and unsuccessful performance (Thoresen, Bradley, Bliese, & players (Schurr, Ruble, & Nisbet, 1984), by Thoresen, 2004). Researchers have studied positions (Schurr, et al., 1984; Nation & personality in various areas ranging from LeUnes, 1983), and classification – playing the workplace to athletics. or not playing (Nation & LeUnes, 1983). Elman and McKelvie (2003) found that Athlete personality has been narcissism predicted membership as a examined by researchers in a number of university football player. Extraversion, ways. For example, many have studied emotional stability, tough-mindedness, and personality differences between athletes group-dependence were found to be and nonathletes (Curry, Snyder, Cook, predictive of collegiate football player Ruby, & Rehm, 1997; Schroth, 1995; Davis, performance (Garland & Barry, 1990). & Mogk, 1994). Although no specific profile Aggressiveness is also among the has been found for athletes (Vealey, 1992; predictors of playing ability for college Wann, 1997), there are some general fullbacks and halfbacks (Secunda, Blau, differences reported. Athletes typically are McGuire, & Burroughs, 1986). more extraverted, tough-minded, assertive, emotionally stable, and self-confident than One area that lacks study is the those who are not athletes (Butt, 1976; personality characteristics of professional Cox, 1998). Others have examined players football players. This study helps to fill this of team and individual sports (Luparini, gap in the literature by examining Guidoni, la Malfa, & Rossi, 1989), players of personality profiles of professional football different sports (Ibrahim, 1988), different players who were considered for a North Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Dallas, TX, May 5-7, 2006. Page - 1 Please do not reference without permission from the first author. [email protected] CPI and California Psychological Inventory are trademarks of CPP, Inc. American football draft, focusing on those their draft number, and the round in which who eventually made a professional football they were selected. Also gathered was team roster through the draft or other information on whether each player made a means such as training camp tryouts or professional team roster, number of games post draft selection. Differences between played per regular season, classification as players in different positions and those offensive, defensive or special teams playing offense versus defense were also player, and position. evaluated. Procedure. First, mean scores were Method calculated for groups of players in order to compare CPI profiles for players by offense Respondents. One thousand one hundred or defense, linemen and backfield, and ninety-three male athletes who were several selected positions including candidates for a North American quarterbacks, running backs, defensive professional football draft completed the backs, and linebackers. These mean profiles CPI 260™ assessment from 2002 to 2005. of interest are summarized in Figures 1 and Most participants did not provide 2. demographic information, such as ethnicity Past research has been successful and occupation. Slightly more than half at differentiating linemen from backfield reported age, with a mean of 22.21 (SD = football players (Cox & Yoo, 1995), as well 1.01). Of those who reported their highest as offensive from defensive players (Schurr, level of education completed (about 46%), Ruble, & Nisbet, 1984), on psychological the modal response was Bachelor’s degree, and personality variables. Therefore, a followed by some college. The analyses similar approach was used in the current focus on the 812 players who made a study. Players were first classified as professional football team roster. offensive linemen, offensive backfield, defensive linemen, or defensive backfield. Measures. The CPI 260 assessment is a Descriptive statistics were then calculated. measure of normal personality that is often Three binary logistic regressions were used in coaching, leadership development, conducted. The first used classification as retention, and as one component of offensive or defensive players as the selection programs. It is comprised of dependent variable, and CPI 260 scales as twenty folk scales, three vector scales, and the independent variables. Next, a binary six special purpose scales. The folk scales logistic regression was performed on are grouped into four broad categories offensive players’ line status (i.e., linemen measuring interpersonal aspects, self- or backfield) as the dependent variable and management, motivations and thinking CPI 260 scales as the independent style, and personal characteristics. The variables. Another binary logistic regression vector scales assess orientations toward was performed on defensive players’ line the interpersonal world, societal values, and status (i.e., linemen or backfield) as the self (Gough & Bradley, 2005). The special dependent variable and CPI 260 scales as purpose scales typically measure various the independent variables. A discriminant work-related dispositions. function analysis was also conducted using the CPI 260 scales as predictors of players’ Variables were also collected via positions. information available from a North American professional football league website. This data included which players were drafted, Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Dallas, TX, May 5-7, 2006. Page - 2 Please do not reference without permission from the first author. [email protected] CPI and California Psychological Inventory are trademarks of CPP, Inc. Results Tolerance (To) scales. One notable pattern is that offensive linemen have the highest Figure one shows the mean CPI 260 average scores on eighteen of the twenty- profiles for a select set of positions. It nine scales, while defensive linemen includes quarterbacks, running backs, wide average the lowest scores on nineteen of receivers, linebackers, kickers/punters, the scales. Average CPI 260 profiles for defensive backs, and defensive tackles. players who were selected by teams in Quarterbacks score, on average, higher 2003-2005 North American professional than the other positions on many of the football drafts and those who were not scales including Dominance (Do), selected were also compared, but not Independence (In), Good Impression (Gi), included because their means were and Leadership (Lp). Since leadership is an remarkably similar. Those selected in the important part of being a quarterback (Read, draft average slightly higher scores on the 2002), it is not surprising that they score Self-control (Sc) and Gi scales. higher than the others on the Lp and Do scales. The Do scale measures prosocial Logistic Regressions. The first binary interpersonal power and influence, and logistic regression for players with people who score high on this scale are offensive/defensive status as the often described as assertive, outgoing, self- dependent variable and CPI 260 scales as confident, ambitious, and they seek to the independent variables reliably influence others to help achieve goals distinguished between offensive and (Gough & Bradley, 2005; Gough & Bradley, defensive players. The test with all 1996). The Lp scale measures initiative and predictors was statistically significant, χ2 = effectiveness in leading others, and 51.38 (29), p < .01. The model shows that descriptors of people who score high on offensive players were correctly classified this scale include alert, ambitious, 66.4% of the time, while defensive players energetic, and poised (Gough & Bradley, were correctly classified 54.1%. The 2005; Gough & Bradley, 1996). Defensive Nagelkerke R2, an approximation of variance tackles score lower than the others on accounted for, is .08. According to the Wald several scales, such as Self-acceptance statistic, Sociability (Sy) (z = 4.70, p < .05), (Sa), Social Conformity (So), Achievement Social Presence (Sp) (z = 4.27, p < .05), So via Conformance (Ac), and Work Orientation (z = 4.8, p < .05), Sc (z = 4.36, p < .05), (Wo). Conceptual Fluency (Cf) (z = 6.59, p < .05), and Participating/Private