Dual Career Development Perspective: Factors Affecting Quality of Post-sport Career Transition of Employed Olympic Athletes

Abstract

Although Olympic athletes are celebrated for their sports achievements, they often face serious difficulties in their post-sport career employment. Factors of development that are affecting the quality of post-sport career transition of Olympic athletes are important to acknowledge in the dual career (DC) development perspective. Due to the side lining of academic activities, athletes are often not well prepared for the labor market. If they do not gain sufficient financial background in their careers, it can lead to a lack of proper economic inclusion of athletes in their post-sport career employment and further impact their lives. Career transitions of athletes have been the subject of research in different aspects of DC support (e.g., athletic, psychological, psychosocial, academic/vocational, financial), but most research is linked to the student-athlete DC perspective. Therefore, the aim of our research was to examine the impact of factors directly contributing to the quality of the post-sport career transition in Slovenian elite and Olympic athletes and the social class position and employment of these athletes after the termination of their sports career. From DC support practice, we learned that although athletes often have a proper level of education, their post-sport career transitions were not successful. To fill this gap, 168 elite athletes (Mage = 33.34, SD = 13.1) from Slovenia were asked to complete online questionnaires. The results showed a significant contribution of education and DC support-related finances (e.g., employment of athletes in public administration) to the quality of post-sport career transition. Regarding developing a national DC model and based on empirical research, this study identifies the social class position and employment status of former elite athletes from Slovenia. It also identifies opportunities for further research on the quality of the post-sport career transitions and perspectives on DC support. Understanding how different factors contribute to the integrated development of individual athletes to reach their potential in sports, education, and their post-sport career employment is important for theorists, DC practitioners, and stakeholders working with DC athletes. To develop a sufficient mechanism, DC support providers should consider supporting education along with the financial support of athletes during their sports careers and recognizing study-training ecosystems, based on good practices to successfully transition to their post-sport careers. These findings can also be useful for athletes and their athletic triangle support network (e.g., coaches and parents) as a support in the decision-making.

The Role of Mass Media in Promoting the Dual Career of the Performance Athlete

“…It is necessary to go through all the stages of analysis and synthesis for the purpose of strong visibility, which uses and transmits the phrase (“dual career”) to all active athletes. Dual career, according to Robnik et al [ 31 ], cannot be achieved without the help of parents and coaches, in a triangular relationship (athlete–parent, athlete–coach, coach–parent). At the same time, it is the duty of the teaching staff to intervene when they notice a syncope in the natural evolution of the pupils (students) and together with the subject’s family to discover and use the most effective means of understanding the road to success.…”

Dual Career through the Analysis of Policy Documents: A Case Study Focusing on Athletics

“…The issue of dual careers is important in Slovenia as well. Thus, several studies have addressed the issue (Kerštajn & Topič, 2017;Gorenc & Braz, 2022;Robnik et al, 2022). In the National Sports Programme of the Republic of Slovenia, the general aim of the measures is to provide quality sport opportunities for the population and increase access to sports.…”

Associations of Training and Academic Stress with Sleep in Dual-Career Collegiate Badminton Athletes: A Preliminary Study

“… 10 , 22 , 23 The integration of sport and education has recently received a great deal of attention internationally. 24 , 25 Although the athletic training and educational stages of student-athletes are highly overlapping, 26 more and more athletes are seeking a “Dual Career” approach to their overall development, ie, pursuing athletic performance and academic success simultaneously. Moreover, solutions to problems related to the integration of sport and education are being explored all over the world.…”