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Global Sport Business Journal

Abstract

Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment (Kristensen et al., 2005), is a growing concern among sport employees, with research documenting high levels of emotional strain, role conflict, and turnover intentions in collegiate and professional sport settings (Taylor et al., 2019; Weight et al., 2021). Although burnout is often examined as a stable condition, little attention has been given to how the cyclical nature of the sport calendar may shape its development over time.

This study examines burnout among middle managers in minor league baseball and hockey through the lens of Affective Events Theory, exploring how seasonal schedules and game-related demands function as temporal drivers of burnout. Using a longitudinal approach that captures experiences during both the season and off-season, the study investigates how burnout develops and fluctuates across distinct phases of the sport calendar.

By treating burnout as a cyclical, event-linked phenomenon, this research offers new insight into the emotional consequences of seasonality in sport organizations and highlights the importance of time-sensitive human resource strategies to support employee well-being.

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