Passion and engagement in sport: A look at athletes and coaches using a quadripartite approach

Athletes and coaches often feel a great deal of passion for sport. But are these highly passionate individuals also highly engaged in sport? Based on the theoretical underpinnings and empirical findings from the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand, 2015), it is unclear if the highest levels of sport engagement are associated with high levels of passion, or with specific combinations of high/low levels of harmonious and obsessive passion. We examined this issue in samples of athletes (N = 403) and coaches (N = 208). Participants completed online questionnaires assessing dimensions of sport passion (i.e., harmonious and obsessive passion) and engagement (i.e., confidence, vigor, dedication, enthusiasm). In both samples, we found that the highest levels of engagement were associated with high harmonious passion. This means that those who are passionate toward sport are not necessarily engaged in sport; engagement is found when passion involves high harmonious passion.