The multidimensional sportspersonship orientations scale has psychometric problems

A recent article (Vallerand, Briere, Blanchard, & Provencher, 1997) describ ed the development of the Multidimensional Sportspersonship Orientations Sc ale (MSOS), a 25-item scale designed to measure five dimensions of sportspe rsonship. Evidence is presented that the MSOS has both a social desirabilit y and an authoritarian bias, and that two groups believed to be different i n sportspersonship scored the same on the MSOS. It is argued here that one of the dimensions, commitment to athletic excellence, is not the same dimen sion as commitment to good sportspersonship. Finally, it is argued that bec ause the authors' values interfered with their objectivity, reasonable pers ons might disagree with the scoring of several of their items. The scientif ic method is not intended to provide answers to questions about morality an d ethics.