Olympic Athletes' Transition from Sport to Workplace

Abstract

Research has supported the need for strategies to assist elite athletes with transition from full-time athletic activity to the work place. Early intervention with coaches' and peers' support programs have mediated the problems associated with the termination of athletic careers. The present study is a report about 57 prominent Olympians from 12 disciplines spanning 6 0 years of competitive sports. Analysis of the data suggests that focussed efforts early in the athletes' careers assisted preparation for life after the full athletic activity. Mentors not only assist in the athletes' careers but also offer guidance and counsel during later life.

A meta-study of athletic identity research in sport psychology: Current status and future directions

“…Open and axial coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1990) Semi-structured interviews Sparkes (1998) Premature athletic retirement Abductive, 'Indwelling' (Maykut & Morehouse, 1994) Life story interviews Ungerleider (1997) Athletic retirement Content analysis Structured interviews Wheeler, Malone, Van Vlack, Nelson, & Steadward (1996) Athletic retirement in disability sport Grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967;Strauss & Corbin, 1990) Semi-structured interviews Note: AIMS = Athletic Identity Measurement Scale.…”

Career Transitions and Career Termination

“…Second, planning the postcareer helps in having a smoother transition. Third, athletic identity and fourth, the athlete's personal and social resources, particularly social support, have an important impact on the quality of the transition process (Alfermann & Groß, 1998;Alfermann et al, 2004;Allison & Meyer, 1988;Buß-mann & Alfermann, 1994;Parker, 1994;Sinclair & Orlick, 1994;Swain, 1991; 722 Life Span Development Taylor & Ogilvie, 2001a;Ungerleider, 1997;Webb et al, 1998;Werthner & Orlick, 1986).…”

“…Athletes with high athletic identity are more reluctant to end their career, experience more negative emotions and traumatic incidents, need more time for adaptation, and are susceptible to depressive symptoms Brewer et al, 2000;Cecic´ Erpic˘, Wylleman, & Zupanc˘ic˘, 2004;Grove et al, 1997;. Athletes who derive their identity, self-esteem, and life satisfaction predominantly or even exclusively from being an athlete have problems adapting to a life without sports (Ungerleider, 1997).…”

“…Athletes with high athletic identity foreclosure pursue their career at the expense of all other areas of life, particularly their professional education and personal growth. These athletes may be more likely to run the risk of ending up in a crisis after career transition (Baillie & Danish, 1992;Ungerleider, 1997). To put it differently, on the average, a good education is a better predictor of later life satisfaction than success in sport alone (Kleiber & Malik, 1989).…”

“…Even in the group of respondents we find some cases of downward mobility, as was shown by Nagel and by Hackfort et al in the case of professional athletes. The occupational development of former athletes depends on their (a) individual resources, such as personal goals (Hackfort et al, 1997) and athletic identity (Ungerleider, 1997) and ( b) environmental factors, such as the team or group (Lavallee, Gordon, & Grove, 1996), the type of sport, and the athletic support system (Hackfort et al, 1997;Koukouris, 1994;Lavallee et al, 1996;Nagel, 2002). Timely planning of the postcareer, playing multiple roles during the sport career, and getting support from the social environment (parents, friends) can help athletes to make a successful occupational career.…”