Abstract
An increasing number of studies have shown the salient effect of pleasant emotions in sports and its association with sports performance. However, little is known about how the coach and athlete relationship affects athletes’ engagement through pleasant emotions. This study scrutinized the mediating role of positive emotions on the relationship between the coach-athlete relationship and the sports engagement of athletes. A total sample of 227 consisting of 60.8% male (N=138) and female (39.2%; N=89) tertiary athletes of diverse sports completed an online questionnaire assessing the coach-athlete relationship, sports engagement, and sports emotions. The results revealed that pleasant emotions mediate the link between the coach-athlete relationship and the sports engagement of athletes. These findings show that athletes with strong connections with their coaches are more likely to experience greater levels of pleasant emotions, resulting in increased sports engagement of athletes.
