Job satisfaction in sport management personnel employed by professional sport organizations in the United States and Canada

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure the perceived level of job satisfaction in front office management personnel employed by professional sport franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Utilizing a packet containing a cover letter explaining the study, a personal data sheet, and the long form Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), 1678 subjects were asked to share their perceptions about their jobs. Two hundred and ninety five (295) subjects, 116 from MLB, 80 from the NBA, 48 from the NFL, and 51 from the NHL, representing a response rate of approximately 18%, returned usable surveys. A one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized for hypothesis testing. Tukey's <o method was used for post hoc comparison of analyses. Results of the study suggested that, in general, sport management personnel employed in professional sports are satisfied with their jobs (x = 70.23, SD = 12.17; 100 point scale). No differences existed in the satisfaction levels among personnel employed in the four sports (MLB, x = 69.17, SD = 12.37; NBA, x = 71.95, SD = 11.68; NFL, x = 68.58, SD = 13.17; NHL, x = 71.47, SD = 11.37), F (3,291) = 1.30 p > .05. The subjects of the study indicated varying levels of satisfaction with all 20 job facet scales measured by the MSQ. The two highest ranked job facets were "moral value" and "activity". The two lowest ranked job facets were "compensation" and "advancement opportunities". Demographically, the sample was comprised primarily of young (77.2%) Caucasian (90.1%) males (83.9%) holding undergraduate degrees (62.5%).