Presenting a Model of the Motivations Driving Famous Athletes' Political Engagement

This study aimed to develop a model of the motivations that drive famous athletes to engage in political activities.The research employed a correlational design with a structural equation modeling approach.The population included managers of sports federations and the Ministry of Sports and Youth, experienced coaches at the national level, athletes with a history of participating in and winning medals at Asian, Olympic, and World Games, and experts in the field of competitive and professional sports (approximately 200 individuals).A purposive sampling method was used to select 117 participants.Data was collected using a self-developed questionnaire on the motivations of famous athletes to participate in political activities, consisting of 69 items and8dimensions.The content and face validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by 11professors and experts in sports management.The reliability of the overall questionnaire (α =0.883)and its dimensions was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient.For data analysis, descriptive statistics were used in SPSS software, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in AMOS. The results of the first and second-order confirmatory factor analysis showed that the t-values and factor loadings of all indicators related to the motivations of athletes' participation in political activities were acceptable, and the model had a good fit. Moreover,"political,""supportive," and "managerial" motivations had the greatest impact on athletes' participation in political activities. In conclusion, athletes' participation in the political arena is influenced by a complex set of motivations, including political, supportive, managerial, individual, family, sports, social, economic, and fame-related motivations. Each of these motivations specifically influences their decision-making and participation in politics.