The Toll of Athletic Identity

Too often we see athletes retiring from their sport or facing a serious injury and go into a tailspin of mental health. They have a substantial drop in perceived value, they question their future, and struggle with their role. Where some level of that is expected and valid through these massive life events (injury and sports retirement), however, the extreme emotional toll these events take on athletes is not “normal” or simply “just how it is”. These transitions can be smooth and opportunities for growth rather than situations that bring consistent hardship and disappointment.

The athletes that move through these major life events the most effectively aren’t the ones who white knuckle through it, but rather the ones who place their identity in something other than JUST their sport . They understand they hold greater value than their last play or their teams record. They love being athletes and hold a lot of merit in that, but that’s not exclusively where they find their value.

Part of assessing value systems and where identity is placed is listing different characteristics and attributes an athlete believes they posses (ie, hard worker, kind, dedicated, a son, etc.). If all of these attributes feel too closely tied to a sport or feel secondary to “athlete”, there needs to be a reprioritization. Ideally, this assessment and possible adjustment happens when the athlete is still competing, however, it is still possible to seamlesly make the adjustments needed after retirement or injury.

The goal is not to make athletes value their abilities or adjust their time spent on their sport, but rather to help them realize there is more to them. This comes when athletes can find internal goals (competing against themselves rather than against opponents) and control over how they interpret various situations throughout their sport, either while still competing or in reflection.

There is a lot that can go into this adjustment of worth but it is incredibly necessary not only for athletes exiting their sports, but also those still competing. We see athletes with a balanced value sysytem perform at higher levels more consistently because they don’t experience the emotional rollercoaster that can happen when challenges and hardships arise.

Don’t believe me? Just look at the research:

.https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2024.2413999 .