The taxonomy of social power are different powers that people of power or in certain positions can hold. Those powers are expert, referent, legitimate, reward, and coercive powers that can influence others. “French and Raven (1959) came up with five ways that individuals can influence others,” and it is seen throughout all the major sports leagues in American. If you do not know what the major sports leagues in American are they are NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB. The National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball are all some of the most profitable leagues in the world and show tremendous amounts of social power throughout all the leagues.
First off, expert power can be seen in all four major sports leagues in the United States but I am only going to apply one social reward to each professional sports league. However, since there are five social powers, one major sports league will be showing how two social powers are displayed in the league. Now expert power is seen in the NFL through team doctors, physicians, psychologists, and trainers. “Expert power is a function of the amount of knowledge one possesses relative to the rest of the members of the group,” and team doctors, trainers, psychologists, and physicians all have more knowledge in their respective areas than NFL staff, coaches, and players. (French & Raven). They are the ones that help members of an organization stay physically and mentally healthy throughout the season. In this case, these team doctors and trainers are followers in the organization but have more expert power than leaders on a team compared to general managers, coaches, and team leaders.
Next, referent power is seen in the NBA through NBA superstars such as Lebron James and Steph Curry. “It is the potential influence one had due to the strength of the relationship between the leader and followers” (French & Raven). Lebron James and Steph Curry both have had impactful influences due to the strength of their relationships with their teammates ever since they entered the league. They both grew into leaders by using their voice in the locker room and influencing other players to work, train, and play harder. With referent power, Lebron James and Steph Curry were seen as role models but it took time for them to develop that referent power that is seen so prominently in the NBA through superstars such as Lebron James and Steph Curry.
Moving onto legitimate power, this power can be seen in all U.S. major sports leagues just like all the other social powers. However, legitimate power is seen in the NHL specifically through general managers and coaches. General managers and coaches both have authority over certain people throughout their organization in the NHL. “Legitimate power means that a leader has authority because of the role he or she has been assigned in the organization,” and this is evident with the managers and coaches in the NHL (French & Raven). Managers have authority over what players they want to have on the team and what coach they want to have to lead the organization. Coaches have authority over what players they chose to play in the games and if they deserve more playing time in the season. However, these coaches and managers are not automatically successful leaders and need more than legitimate power to be more efficient leaders throughout the NHL.
Lastly, reward power and coercive power are both seen throughout the MLB. First off, reward power can be seen in the MLB with owners giving players more money, longer contracts, and incentives if they hit a certain goal throughout the baseball season. Also, reward power is seen in the MLB by players being rewarded as all-stars through fan voting. Like French and Raven state, owners can influence others on reward power if they determine what rewards are available, what rewards are valued by followers, and establish clear policies that reward good performances. Secondly, coercive power is evident in the MLB through the commissioner of the league. The baseball commissioner enforces rules and authority that can punish or take away positive outcomes from coaches, players, and entire organizations. The commissioner does this by setting policies that don’t allow players to use performance-enhancing drugs, coaches to not abuse or harass employers, and organizations by not allowing them to cheat and gain an advantage in the game of baseball. If any coach, player, or organization commits an act against the MLB’s rules and policies then they can be punished by the commissioner.
