RESEARCH ARTICLE


A Review on Transitional Implications for Retiring Elite Athletes: What Happens When the Spotlight Dims?



Jenniefer L. Smith1, Alexandra McManus*, 2
1 The University of Western Australia, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Perth, Australia
2 Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia


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Creative Commons License
© 2008 Smith et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer Control, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia; Tel: +61 8 9266 2115; Fax: +61 8 92662608; E-mail: A.Mcmanus@curtin.edu.au


Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the factors affecting an elite athlete’s transition from the sports environment, and identify opportunities for interventions to facilitate a positive transition into post-sports life. Articles were identified through a systematic keyword and database search and were examined using the components of Schlossberg’s Model of Human Adaptation to Transition (characteristics of the transition, the individual and the pre and post environment). The greatest contributors to a difficult transition include involuntary retirement (injury or deselection), a strong, exclusive athletic identity, and lack of pre-retirement planning and support services. However, gaps exist in the scope of programs to address broader adaptation issues. Greater emphasis should be directed towards the psychological, social and physical transitions experienced by elite athletes prior to and after retirement to ensure a positive adaptation into post-sports life.

Keywords: Transition, Elite sport, Retirement, Deselection, Injury.