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Abstract: Authenticity at work has been receiving attention from scholars and practitioners in recent years. Studies have identified the critical role of authenticity in organizational attractiveness, job satisfaction, turnover intent, and the overall well-being of the employees. However, research on authenticity at workplace has primarily been focused on traditional business settings. Very few studies have explored the implications of authenticity in newer form of business such as sports. The current study aims to address this gap in the authenticity literature by examining the experience of authenticity among elite athletes. It also tries to identify and examine factors that facilitate and impede authenticity in sports. The study has followed an inductive research design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of cross-cultural sample of cricketers. Findings of the current study transcend the professional and personal space of the athletes to explain their understanding of authenticity. It suggests that apart from autonomy, relational orientation and self-awareness, passion forms important composition of authenticity for sportspersons. The current study leaves important theoretical and managerial implications. Findings suggests how authenticity can attribute towards the idea of sportsmanship, teamwork and passion among athletes, and can result in a long-term behavioural manifestations desirable for the athletes and greater sport movement.
Keywords: Authenticity; Sports; Cricket; Premier leagues; Neoliberal sports
'People experience authenticity when their actions reflect their true or core self
The idea of authenticity at work has drawn the attention of scholars due to authenticity's significant role in addressing issues such as job satisfaction, well-being, commitment and psychopathy (Hinch & Higham, 2005; Kernis & Goldman, 2006). In fact, empirical studies (Metin et al., 2016; Reis et al., 2017) have argued that authenticity can play strategic roles (such as in talent management and performance improvement), attributing sustained competitive advantages for firms. Interestingly, most of the authenticity work in organisational studies journals has focused on traditional business organisations exclusively. However, an in-depth understanding of the meaning and implications of authenticity in contexts such as sports is somewhat missing from extant discussions (Bednář, 2014; Ronkainen et al., 2015).
Globally, the sports industry generates over USD 700 billion in revenue annually. In fact, sports account for 2.12% of EU GDP and over 2.72% of employment (Hassan et al., 2021; Pandey & Hassan, 2021; Considine, 2020) in...