Linking sports-related and socio-economic resources of retiring Olympic athletes to their subsequent vocational career

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine patterns of sports-related and socio-economic resources at the time of athletic retirement and their relation to the subsequent vocational career. We surveyed 341 former Olympic athletes representing Switzerland about their athletic, educational, and vocational careers. In order to adequately depict the heterogeneous situations of athletes during and after their athletic career, we applied a person-oriented approach. This involves adopting a holistic perspective and using nonlinear methods of analysis to allow for interactions between different aspects of an athlete’s career. Using cluster analytic techniques, we found different patterns of sports-related and socio-economic resources at the time of athletic retirement which were related with specific vocational career paths. In particular, clusters disposing of manifold resources had various opportunities in working life, whereas clusters with few resources fared less well. However, a lack of educational certificates could be compensated for by success in sports and popularity, provided that the vocational activity was pursued in sport. These findings may help career counsellors to better understand athletes’ career development options and provide services of ever-improving quality.

Leaving elite sport, abandoning athletic identity? Development and predictors of athletic identity post-retirement

“…When exploring alternative career options, it is conceivable that athletes identifying strongly with the athlete role and with lower self-complexity have built up fewer resources outside of sport (e.g., education, work experience; M. J. Schmid, Örencik, Schmid, & Conzelmann, 2023) and may be limited in their decision-making. Moreover, former athletes working in the field of sport benefit from continuity within their athletic identities and occupational context (Aston et al, 2022).…”

Retirement from elite sport and self-esteem: a longitudinal study over 12 years

“…Moreover, a holistic perspective on development processes has been promoted (Bergman et al, 2003), which has parallels to the literature on career termination (e.g., Wylleman, 2019). A methodological consequence of this point of view is that the traditional variableoriented approach based on the general linear model has limited applicability and that person-oriented strategies should also be considered (Conzelmann et al, 2023; for an application in sports career research see, e.g., Schmid et al, 2022). Within the person-oriented approach the individual is viewed as a functioning and developing totality that is best described by analyzing patterns of information rather than individual variables (Bergman et al, 2003) allowing peculiarities of each athlete to be taken into account.…”

“…Moreover, the sport system is ever changing and has spurred in recent years professionalization, mediatization, and commercialization of elite sport (Westerbeek and Hahn, 2013). In turn, sport federations have expanded their efforts to support athletes to meet the increased demands (e.g., regarding time commitment), and athletes have started to benefit from the new opportunities in the field of sport (e.g., with respect to work and earnings; Schmid et al, 2022) associated with the recent developments. In view of potential sociocultural and epochal peculiarities, future studies should aim for better generalizability of the results using samples of retiring athletes from other contexts.…”

Soccer above all? Analysis of academic and vocational education among female soccer players in the German women's Bundesliga and 2nd women's Bundesliga

“…For example, existing findings (e.g., 54 ) show that athletes with high social recognition and prominence are less likely to invest in a dual career. This is explained by the fact that there is no compelling financial necessity ( 35 ) and a later professional position in the field of sport is more likely to be secured ( 55 ). Accordingly, an (overly) optimistic assessment (overestimation) of the usability of resources accumulated in the course of a sports career (symbolic capital/reputation, see 56 ) could have a negative impact on the assessment of the value of academic or vocational education, which is why the influence of familiarity must be included in the analysis.…”