Interest Exploration

Developing a New Identity

As high performance or professional athletes, our daily lives are often consumed by training, practicing, and competing. Little time is left to engage in activities outside of our chosen sport.  This can lead to a narrowing of our identity to one that is exclusive to our athletic endeavors (Cecić Erpič, Wylleman, & Zupančič, 2004; Warehime, Dinkel, Bjornsen-Ramig, & Blount, 2017. We tend to define ourselves first and foremost as athletes. In many circumstances we are both publically and privately viewed through the lens of being an athlete (Beamon, 2012). This results in the development of an exclusive athletic identity. This identity can be beneficial when we are competing, but as we make the transition into life after sport it can become detrimental (Martin, Fogarty, & Albion, 2014).

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Through the exploration of new hobbies, including different types of physical activity, we are able to expand our identity beyond that of just an athlete. The expansion of our identity, prior to and throughout the transition into retirement, has been shown to help us cope with this transition and to develop higher self-esteem and increased levels of satisfaction within our lives (Lally, 2017; Warehime et al., 2017).

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References:

Beamon, K. (2012). “I’m a Baller”: Athletic identity foreclosure among African-American former student-athletes. Journal of African American Studies,16(2), 195-208. doi:10.1007/s12111-012-9211-8

 

Erpič, S. C., Wylleman, P., & Zupančič, M. (2004). The effect of athletic and non-athletic factors on the sports career termination process. Psychology of Sport and Exercise,5(1), 45-59. doi:10.1016/s1469-0292(02)00046-8

 

Lally, P. (2007). Identity and athletic retirement: A prospective study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise,8(1), 85-99. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2006.03.003

 

Martin, L. A., Fogarty, G. J., & Albion, M. J. (2013). Changes in athletic identity and life satisfaction of elite athletes as a function of retirement status. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology,26(1), 96-110. doi:10.1080/10413200.2013.798371

 

Warehime, S., Dinkel, D., Bjornsen-Ramig, A., & Blount, A. (2017). A qualitative exploration of former college student-athletes’ wellness. Physical Culture and Sport Studies and Research,75(1), 23-34. doi:10.1515/pcssr-2017-0018