The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic as a Change-Event in Sport Performers’ Careers: Conceptual and Applied Practice Considerations

Abstract

The Coronavirus experience (CE) presents a highly challenging period for sport performers (e.g., athletes, coaches, referees), with potential effects on their lives and career trajectories. In this article, we initially conceptualize the CE using the scheme of change for sport psychology practice (Samuel and Tenenbaum, 2011a). Within this framework, the CE is understood as a longitudinal, multifaceted, unpredicted, non-controlled change-event, with four distinct stages: (a) a pre-Coronavirus stage with unique career contextual conditions (i.e., stable engagement or a transitional period), (b) Coronavirus stage-A accompanied by instability and confusion, emotional response, and cognitive appraisal, (c) Coronavirus stage-B characterized by active coping or regression, and (d) Coronavirus stage-C; instability endures or decreases, depending on career trajectory. The CE presents sport performers with modifications in various dimensions, including physical and physiological, motor skills, psychosocial and self-identity, relationships, performance and achievement, motivation and aspirations, organizational-occupational, and micro-and macro-cultural issues. Sport performers can exhibit several emotional responses (i.e., positive, negative, neutral), and consequential coping endeavors. The development of the change process is underlined by key decisions, manifested in sport performers' attempts to implement responsive change in these dimensions (e.g., adapt their diets, sleep routines, and exercise regimen). The second part of the article discusses applied practice considerations, presenting various techniques and methodologies which practitioners can apply while consulting from a change-based perspective. Ethical issues pertaining to the formation of effective therapeutic relationships during this period are also assessed. The conclusions offer future avenues for researchers and practitioners when attempting to evaluate and cope with this global phenomenon.

Where Did All the Sport Go? Negative Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Life-Spheres and Mental Health of Spanish Young Athletes

“…Within the sports field, previous evidence relates mental health issues with higher difficulties to undertake a dual career pathway (Sallen et al, 2018;Sorkkila et al, 2020). As highlighted by other authors (e.g., Samuel et al, 2020;Stambulova et al, 2020), COVID-19 lockdown can be understood as a changeevent with unexpected demands for the athletes that combine academic and sports career. Therefore, it would be interesting that future research addresses the impact of this adaptation process on young athletes' mental health.…”

“…Research addressing the impact of this pandemic in sports identified specific challenges for athletes’ mental health during the lockdown, such as the difficulty in keeping training conditions ( Pillay et al, 2020 ), the social distancing from teammates ( Graupensperger et al, 2020 ), and the uncertainty regarding the delay or cancelation of future competitions ( Samuel et al, 2020 ). Despite most of these challenges are common for athletes of all ages and levels, research has mainly focused on high performance, professional, and/or Olympic/Paralympic athletes (see also Schinke et al, 2020a , b ; Stambulova et al, 2020 ), letting youth sports’ reality underexplored.…”

Personality, Coping Strategies, and Mental Health in High-Performance Athletes During Confinement Derived From the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Nevertheless, a specific conceptual model proposal has recently appeared [“Coronavirus Experience,” CE, ( 74 )] that is based on their previous Scheme of change for sport psychology practice model ( 75 ) that is not far from the model of response to sports injuries. CE is defined as an unpredictable, longitudinal, and multifaceted change event that consists of three phases: phase A, characterized by instability and confusion, emotional response, and appraisal; phase B, defined by coping and regression; and phase C, in which instability can increase or decrease depending on the previous sporting trajectory.…”

Implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) as a Career Change-Event: The Israeli Premier League Case Study

“…This would entail the development of novel training modalities, in addition to existing VAR simulators, so referees can continue independent practice. New online options, such as Zoom-based training (see Samuel et al, 2020c), can be exploited for this purpose. Analyzing the refereeing team communication in critical match incidents is of high importance.…”