The purpose of this study was to examine how Olympians experience the transition to a second career, to identify the strategies they may or may not implement in order to prepare for it, and to determine the main factors that influence this process. Using a phenomenological approach we asked 26 Spanish Olympians (13 men and 13 women) from different summer Olympic sports about their experiences when it came to preparing for and entering a new place of work. The results revealed two main groups. The ‘strategists’ were Olympians with an awareness of their future and a deep understanding of their work environment, who took specific steps (academic training, entering a new job before ending their sporting career, saving money, taking advantage of their sporting capital and voluntary retirement) in order to enter their second career. The family was shown to be a key influence for Olympians in this group. At the other end of the spectrum were the ‘non-strategists’, those who did not combine their career in sport with an academic or vocational career. What set these Olympians apart was a lack of awareness regarding the need to prepare for their future career and that they did not implement strategies that might help them in this regard. In this group the family appeared somewhat indifferent to the question of what would happen when the athlete’s sporting career ended. These findings could serve as a platform from which to develop programs and assist athletes according to the group with which they are identified.

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Drawing on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), we examined factors affecting interest in pursuing a degree in Physical Activity and Sport Science (PASS) among Spanish teenage students. Although women were awarded 55.1% of all bachelor degrees in Spain in 2017–2018, female enrollment in PASS degrees is decreasing and currently stands below 20% across the country. To better understand the under-representation of women in this field, 4146 students (50.2% girls; mean age = 16.82 years; SD = 0.837) participated in a survey designed to measure a series of SCCT constructs: interest in studying a PASS degree, career outcome expectations, goal representations, and perceived social supports. With these data, we tested a set of path analysis models to explain gender differences in interest in studying a degree in PASS. These models tested the assumption that interest in PASS would mediate the paths from outcome expectations and social supports to goal representations. Model 1 assumed that interest would partially mediate the path from outcome expectations to goal representations, Model 2 assumed complete mediation, and Model 3 assumed absence of mediation. All models were tested separately for boys and girls. Our results provide information on how male and female students set personal goals based on expected career outcomes and show that this process is affected by gender stereotypes. The lack of interest by young women in studying a degree in PASS (only 7.8% of girls expressed this interest compared with 19.0% of boys), together with the gender differences observed in perceived social supports, outcome expectations, and goal representations, have several important theoretical and practical implications. The present research suggests that interventions that foster positive outcome expectations and social support are necessary to increase interest in studying PASS among teenage girls.

Interest in studying the different transitions faced by elite athletes throughout their careers has grown significantly in recent years. While transition from secondary school to university is an important research area in Europe, there is a void of studies on how student-athletes experience the transition to specific degrees. One of the most soughtafter university degrees among elite athletes in Spain is a degree in Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (PASS). The first aim of this study was to investigate the main demands, barriers, and resources perceived by elite student-athletes in various phases of dual career transition to a university degree in PASS. The second aim was to identify the transition pathways pursued depending on the subjective importance they attached to sport and education. Eleven elite student-athletes (M age = 20.7, SD = 1.6 years) who were in their second and third year of the degree in PASS participated in semi-structured interviews. Deductive-inductive thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed three main themes: (a) general university transition issues, (b) PASS-specific transition issues, and (c) transition pathways. Our results show that the close link between sport and the content of the degree was perceived by the elite student-athletes as their main resource. This link, however, was also perceived as a major barrier as the compulsory practical subjects entailed a risk of injury or overtraining that could affect both athletic and academic development. We noticed how the importance they attached to sport or studies varied at different moments of the transition period, a phenomenon we termed "fluid transition pathways." Dual career promotion for elite athletes is an important part of European sports policy, and our findings provide new knowledge that could help Spanish PASS faculties develop specific assistance programs to support transitioning student-athletes.

Este artigo tem como objetivo analisar as características organizacionais dos programas universitários de apoio à carreira dupla na Catalunha. A amostra foi composta pelas dez universidades que possuíam programas de apoio à carreira dupla. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas com 13 coordenadores, bem como pela análise do conteúdo existente nos sites web de cada universidade. Os resultados mostram diferentes perfis de alunos-atletas presentes nos programas. Houve deficiências em elementos como a disponibilidade de recursos, planejamento ou legislação vigente. Além disso, fatores externos, como o corpo docente ou o sistema europeu de diplomas universitários, mostraram ter uma influência significativa. Conclui-se que a vontade política, um contexto econômico favorável e a colaboração privada são elementos necessários para avançar no desenvolvimento dos programas.

El objetivo del siguiente artículo es establecer una tipología de inserción laboral en deportistas olímpicos. A partir la teoría de la elección racional y la teoría de la reproducción social, se condujo un cuestionario telefónico a una muestra de 94 deportistas (68 hombres y 26 mujeres). Mediante el procedimiento de conglomerados jeráquicos se identificaron cuatro grupos de deportistas: estrategas con vida paralela, estrategas por cuenta propia, deportistas para siempre y no estrategas; es un trabajo. Los resultados también muestran cómo a mayor capital cultural y económico de la familia se plantean mejor las estrategias y las posiciones alcanzadas por los deportistas en su segunda carrera son mejores. Estos resultados pueden servir para desarrollar y adaptar los programas de apoyo a los deportistas según su perfil.

Spanish sports literature is devoid of studies investigating the voices of gay athletes. Using semi-structured interviews, the purpose of this research was to examine the contextually relevant experiences of the first-ever openly gay elite athlete in a Spanish team sport context. Our investigation covers multiple personal and institutional layers of the sporting complex, which are analysed in three ways: (a) using Troiden’s notions of identity; (b) using Anderson’s Inclusive Masculinity Theory; and (c) using McCormack’s theory of gay discourse. Our findings reveal that coming out was a more positive experience than the athlete had expected. He experienced inclusivity from his teammates, trainers, managers and supporters. There was no physical aggression or verbal harassment. He did, however, frequently hear antigay language spoken, which he reported as not being homophobic. Our findings provide one of the few examinations of this topic outside of the USA.

The number of women in football has considerably grown in Spain, which in addition to increasing its media and social visibility is also attracting academic interest. In this regard, the objective of this article is to understand and interpret the experiences of 15 elite female football players regarding their gender and sexual orientation. The semi-structured interviews followed a pattern already used in other related research and dealt with topics such as the stereotypes that accompany women who play football, family reluctance, coexistence in locker rooms, lesbians coming out of the closet, or the need for more and better reference models. The data point to a clear homosociability within the teams and the benefits of supporting one and other when coming out of the closet, offering a counterpoint to family attitudes mostly characterized by rejection or stigmas that mark women as ‘tomboys.’ The conclusions highlight, on the one hand, the discrimination that the female players experience for being women who practice a traditionally masculine sport, and how homonegativity contributes to the control of women and the gendered nature of sport, and on the other hand, the open and inclusive climate that lesbian players have found in the football environment.