Sport psychology practitioners (SPPs) have increasingly expanded their services into performance domains beyond traditional sport, including corporate, military, and, most recently, esports. As esports grows rapidly into a global entertainment industry, players, coaches, support staff, and leadership face significant psychological demands related to training, performance, and well-being. While the benefits of sport psychology are well established in traditional sport, little is known about how members of the esports ecosystem perceive and experience the role of SPPs.
This study addresses this gap by examining the experiences and perceptions of esports players, coaches, and support staff regarding the integration of SPPs into the esports environment. The guiding research question is: How do these groups perceive the role, effectiveness, and key characteristics of sport psychology practitioners within training, competition, and the broader esports context?
A cross-sectional online survey was distributed internationally to collect quantitative data. The survey aimed to capture experiences with sport psychology services, attitudes toward effectiveness, and willingness to seek or recommend psychological support to enhance performance and well-being. Items included demographics, prior engagement with sport psychology at individual, team, and organizational levels, and perceptions of effectiveness. Participants also rated the potential of sport psychology to address esports-specific issues such as tilt, motivation, sleep regulation, and career transition. Depending on role, participants completed adapted versions of the Sport Psychology Attitudes-Revised (SPA-R; Martin et al., 2002) or the Sport Psychology Attitudes and Referral Confidence-Revised (SPARC-R; Zakrajsek et al., 2008).
Although data collection is ongoing, preliminary trends indicate mixed awareness and acceptance of SPPs. Members of the esports ecosystem value psychological support for performance enhancement but stress the need for practitioners with esports-specific knowledge, adaptability, and cultural credibility. These insights will inform recommendations for integrating psychological services in esports organizations to optimize both performance and well-being.