RISK-BEHAVIOR OF GERMAN BASKETBALL COACHES: COMPARING THE WILLINGNESS TO TAKE RISKS ON DIFFERENT COACHING LICENSE LEVELS WITH THE GENERAL POPULATION AND DIFFERENT PROFESSIONAL SUBGROUPS

Abstract

This research examines the risk behavior of German basketball coaches to understand how risk propensity varies across coaching license levels. Addressing gaps in previous studies on coaches’ psychological traits, the study compares basketball coaches with teachers, managers, and the general population. Data from 360 coaches and the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) were analyzed. Results show that A-license coaches exhibit higher risk-taking, similar to managers, while C-license coaches align more with teachers and the general population. These findings reveal a link between risk preferences and coaching license level, emphasizing the value of large-scale surveys in exploring professional personality traits and the need for further research across sports.

Keywords

• coaching
• risk
• teacher
• manager
• personality
• basketball