To inform future intervention strategies and enhance professional esports players` performance, this qualitative study investigated stressors, associated stress responses, and coping strategies experienced by professional League of Legends players. Following criterion-based sampling, semi-structured interviews with 12 professional esports players were performed. The findings illustrate a variety of stressors related to team, performance, audience, and social media. Associated stress responses prior to competition (e.g., nervousness and excitement) seemed to be suppressed during competition, whereas post-competition responses were related to the outcome of competition. Although a range of strategies were identified, players most frequently communicated with teammates or coaches and focused on performance when coping with stressors. Study results show a need to teach players how to recognize and regulate associated stress responses, and to gain an in-depth understanding of stressors, coping strategies, and their effects on performance. Highlights Professional League of Legends players experience a variety of stressors such as team issues, performance expectations, audience, and social media. Perceived stress responses were most prevalent prior to competition and after competition. Whereas players reported that perceived stress responses seemed to be suppressed during competition, post-competition responses were associated with the outcome of competition. Players stated that they most frequently communicated with teammates or coaches and used problem-focused coping strategies to manage stressors such as performance expectations.
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