Crisis-related observations in competition: a case study in basketball

This study presents a unique observational approach to basketball, based on the theory of psychological performance crisis in competition. The approach used takes into account the responses of a player' s actions to significant social factors such as team-mates, spectators, the coach and the referees. The contribution of this approach beyond traditional observational techniques is discussed. In our investigation, a single case design was used, in which a professional basketball player was observed during 10 home and 3 away games of the regular season. The relations between the observations and the crisis concept are discussed in detail. In addition, some relevant methodological and applied aspects are presented.