Relationship between motivational climate, sportspersonship and disposition to cheating in young soccer players

Abstract

The objective of this research was to examine the relationship between perceived motivational climate, sportspersonhip orientation and disposition to cheating in young soccer players. Participants were 197 soccer players aged between 13 and 19 from a club in Barcelona. Cuestionario de Disposición al Engaño en el Deporte (CDED), Multidimensional Sportspersonship Orientations Scale (MSOS) and Empowering and Disempowering Motivational Climate Questionnaire (EDMCQ-C) were administered. Results showed that the perception of an empowering climate is linked to prosocial behaviors (i.e., sportspersonship). Contrary, a perception of a disempowering climate is linked to the acceptance of antisocial behaviors (i.e., cheating and gamesmanship). Moreover, gamesmanship behaviors are more accepted than cheating. This enlightens the importance of the coach-created motivational climate as an aspect that can influence in the players’ moral development.