“It’s Your Whole Life:” Navigating Identity and Mental Health in Life after Sports

Abstract

Retirement from sport can be one of the most difficult transitions for athletes who must cope with the loss of athlete identity in redefining their purpose outside of sports. Prior research has indicated the life after sports phase can pose mental health challenges in terms of identity crisis, depression, and anxiety for former athletes who cannot successfully navigate this transition. Guided by the Meaning Making Model, the following qualitative study adds to the literature by exploring how former NCAA and NAIA collegiate athletes describe their identity and how their experiences shaped their attitudes of mental health during life after sports. This research followed a narrative inquiry approach based on individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a total of 25 former collegiate athletes enrolled at various NCAA and NAIA institutions. Results led to an overall narrative that is presented in the analysis, “Life After Sports: Navigating Identity and Mental Health After Sports.” Results indicated participants’ difficulty in navigating life after sports, along with a new awareness of mental health once removed from competition, the implications of which are discussed.