"Role models" among elite young male rugby league players in Britain

Abstract

This paper was generated from consultancy undertaken as part of the Rugby Football League’s World Class Performance Plan in 2003. Drawing upon an account of the moral exemplar in sports ethics from Aristotelian philosophy, the work fuses aspects of sociology and social psychology. The results formed the basis for an explanatory theoretical model for the selection of role models by elite young rugby league players. Fleming’s contribution to the study was as lead investigator responsible for research design, data interpretation and analysis, and preparation of the manuscript.