The impact of identification on adherence to group norms in team sports: Who is going the extra mile?

The present research investigates the applicability of the Normative Conflict Model of Dissent (NCMD; Packer, 2008) in the context of team sports. The core assumption of the NCDM is that strongly identified group members adhere to group norms less (i.e., deviate more) when these norms are potentially harmful for the team. We accompanied a football team over the course of a season (22 time points) and assessed players’ (n = 11) identification with their team, adherence as the overlap between individual and team goals, and disengagement as willingness to leave the team. Results showed that weakly identified players adhered to, but strongly identified players deviated from,unambitious—thus potentially harmful—team goals. Moreover, deviance elicited disengagement among weakly but not among strongly identified players. Our findings demonstrate the relevance of the NCMD in sports teams. Implications are discussed with respect to the beneficial aspects of deviance for teams.