Female Student-Athletes’ Transition out of Collegiate Competition

Abstract

Research in the area of athletic identity has grown immensely since it was first brought forward in academic work nearly 20 years ago. The ideas of athletic identity have expanded into the areas of relating to injury and rehabilitation, transitioning into collegiate athletics, transitioning out of collegiate athletics, professional careers in sport, and even identity formation through sport. This research explored the experiences of 10 women who had completed their collegiate eligibility and had transitioned out of collegiate competition. Three themes emerged from the semi-structured interviews: (a) Sense of Loss, (b) Bewilderment, and (c) Enjoy the Experience. All the respondents agreed that transition was inevitable, but there were mixed results on whether the transition out of sport was positive or negative. The findings also revealed the struggle of creating an identity outside of sport. The participants indicated establishing new social circles, new routines with fitness, and separating from their sport were challenging. The respondents also believed it was their responsibility to offer advice to future transitioning student-athletes so they could be better prepared for their upcoming and inevitable transition out of sport.

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“…Additionally, Kidd, Southall, Nagel, Reynolds, and Anderson (2018) reported, in part, that NCAA Division I men's football, basketball, and baseball athletes had significant difficulties with retirement related to maintaining their athletic identities. Smith and Hardin (2018) found similar results with former female college athletes, as well. They reported athletes struggled to create an identity outside their sport upon retirement.…”

From Taped Up to Mic’d Up: Experiences of Former Athletes and the Meaning of Athletic Identity in Sports Media Spaces

“…It is understood that the transition out of sport for elite-level athletes can be a complicated process, as research suggests that for many athletes, their “athletic self” plays a fundamental role in how they view their self-worth (e.g., Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993; Smith & Hardin, 2018; Smith et al, 2018). Research has found that many times exiting sport can leave athletes questioning who they are and what life is like without athletics (e.g., Lally, 2007; Smith & Hardin, 2018; Smith et al, 2018) leading to problems creating a new social and personal identity.…”

“…It is understood that the transition out of sport for elite-level athletes can be a complicated process, as research suggests that for many athletes, their “athletic self” plays a fundamental role in how they view their self-worth (e.g., Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993; Smith & Hardin, 2018; Smith et al, 2018). Research has found that many times exiting sport can leave athletes questioning who they are and what life is like without athletics (e.g., Lally, 2007; Smith & Hardin, 2018; Smith et al, 2018) leading to problems creating a new social and personal identity. Furthermore, these athletes can encounter physical and psychological issues without their athletic identity such as problems with eating disorders, weight fluctuation, insomnia, alcohol and performance enhancing drugs, mood swings, depression, anxiety, and even suicide (e.g., Lally, 2007; Saxe, Hardin, Taylor, & Pate, 2017; Smith et al, 2018; Wylleman, Alfermann, & Lavallee, 2004; Wylleman, Rosier, & De Knop, 2015).…”

“…Wade’s sentiments echo those of many other former athletes, as the struggle of leaving sport often leads to depression and anxiety and questions about self-worth (e.g., Lally, 2007; Smith & Hardin, 2018; Smith, Taylor, & Hardin, 2018); however, sports media allows them to move to a career where they can use what they learned as athletes to succeed (e.g., Bardick, Bernes, Chorney, Gunn, McKnight, & Orr, 2009; Fuller, 2014; Lally, 2007).…”

A Systematic Literature Review on the Academic and Athletic Identities of Student-Athletes

“…Athletic identity specifically refers to the self-definition and meaning that is developed in relation to a role as an athlete and has been asserted to be central to the self-concept of athletes (Brewer et al, 1993). Athletic identity has been most commonly researched in the context of transitions that occur at times of athletic retirement (e.g., Grove, Lavallee, & Gordon, 1997;Reifsteck, Gill, & Labban, 2016;Ronkainen, Kavoura, & Ryba, 2016;Smith & Hardin, 2018), injury (e.g., Brewer, Cornelius, Stephan, & Van Raalte, 2009;Green & Weinberg. 2001), or performance set-backs (e.g., Brewer, Selby, Linder, & Petitpas, 1999;Brown & Potrac, 2009).…”