Abstract
Using
Norman Goodman's (2001) outline for a research program on the
effect of a failure in a central identity for a person's sense of
self, and Daniel Levinson's (1978) focus on the concept of
'The Dream' as an important element of adult identity, I
have undertaken a preliminary research study of how professional
athletes experience the transition away from their strong central
identity at the end of their professional sports careers. Using survey
data from former professional baseball and football players as well as
lengthy follow-up interviews, I sought to identify factors that
influence this transition process and determine whether there are
commonalities among those who make this transition with relative ease or
difficulty. The study considered such factors as: career length, the
athlete's educational attainment, how the athlete's career
ended, the extent to which the athlete clings to his previous identity,
and the differences in the sports' organizational structures. I
also drew upon selected memoirs of former professional players and the
work of other sociological and social psychological studies of athletes
to present some insights into the emotionally charged and intensely
personal experience of losing one's central identity and the
difficulties in replacing it. I also introduce the concept of
'the nostalgic self' as an alternative to both the
'abandoned self' and 'not yet abandoned self' as
a way in which former athletes retain a portion of their former identity
without either renouncing their past or holding onto it so tightly that
it prevents their moving forward. The study found only modest support
for whether the respondents' educational attainment and how their
athletic career ended had a relationship with the ease of their
transition into a new career identity. There was, however, a striking
difference in the experiences between athletes of different generations.
These differences seem to be attributable to the significant changes in
professional sports brought about by free agency. The project's
results also point to possible future areas of study regarding the
transition.
Description
164 pg.
