Introduction The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to dramatic changes in the sports environment (Grix, Brannagan, Grimes, & Neville, 2021). The changes in the sports environment have impacted psychologically on athletes. Methods To clarify these psychological changes, a survey was conducted of 29 athletes belonging to a single Japanese Professional Football League (J-League) team. This measured the participants` motivation using the Sport Motivation Scale Questionnaire (SMS), and self-efficacy using the Psychological Performance SE Scale (SE) for a football season before and after the onset of the pandemic. Results A comparison of the participants` SMS (2019 = 73 points; 2020 = 69 points) and SE (2019 = 88 points; 2020 = 83 points) scores before and after the start of the pandemic, using the t-test, indicated a declining trend in both the motivation and self-efficacy of athletes for the 2020 season. No significant difference was found (SE: t(28)=1.29, p=0.21, SMS: t(28)=1.50, p=0.15). However, changes in individual players were evident. Seven athletes indicated a drop of more than 5% in their SMS scores for the 2020 season, with a further three athletes showing an increase of more than 5%. Regarding SE scores, five players displayed a drop of more than 5% for the 2020 season, with three athletes showing an increase of more than 5%. Discussion These results indicate that the pandemic may have had a negative psychological impact on the motivation and self-efficacy of these athletes. However, individual differences were found in athletes` responses to the crisis. Therefore, it is necessary to further examine the underlying factors behind the psychological changes observed in athletes during this period.
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