Coaches routinely use pep talks to inspire and motivate athletes, but the efficacy of this strategy has not been empirically examined. Conceptually based on Thrash and Elliot's [3, 4] inspiration research this study explored the impact of a simulated pep talk on inspiration, inspiration to perform, situational autonomous motivation, and emotion. Collegiate football players (n = 151) were randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 74, viewed a movie clip of coach giving an inspirational speech) or control (n = 77, viewed a movie clip of a coach giving game instructions) group and completed assessments pre and post treatment. A one-way ANOVA revealed an overall significant group effect for the change scores, [F(6,134) = 6.53, p < .001]. The experimental group was more inspired by the movie clip [F(1, 139) = 29.06, p < .001], more inspired to perform [F(1, 139) = 24.10, p = .000], and indicated greater emotional dominance [F(1,139) = 7.19, p = 008] than the control group. Motivation, pleasure, and arousal were not influenced by the movie clip.
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