A life of a former athlete after their elite career – a pilot study .

SVOBODOVÁ, Zora and Hana VÁLKOVÁ. A life of a former athlete after their elite career – a pilot study . Studia Sportiva. Česká republika: Masarykova univerzita, Fakulta sportovních studií, 2017, vol. 11, No 1, p. 250-257. ISSN 1802-7679.

Basic information

• Original name: A life of a former athlete after their elite career – a pilot study .
• Name in Czech: Život sportovce po ukončení aktivní činnosti – pilotní studie.
• Authors: SVOBODOVÁ, Zora (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution) and Hana VÁLKOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution).
• Edition: Studia Sportiva, Česká republika, Masarykova univerzita, Fakulta sportovních studií, 2017, 1802-7679.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Article in a journal
• Field of Study: 30306 Sport and fitness sciences
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• WWW: URL
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14510/17:00097662
• Organization unit: Faculty of Sports Studies
• Keywords (in Czech): sportovní kariéra; proces involuce; teorie transition; semi-strukturovaný rozhovor; životní křižovatky; kategorie; životní příběh
• Keywords in English: sport career; process of involution; theory of transition; semi-structured interviews; life crossroads; categories; life story
• Tags: rivok
• Tags: Reviewed

Abstract

This paper reports on a pilot study of the Faculty of Sports Studies Masaryk University (FSpS) whose objective was to investigate psychosocial variables related to a managed, and/or unmanaged invo- lution at the end of the athlete’s sport career, and their transfer into an ordinary life after their elite sport’s engagement period. Consequently, this study aims to propose a theoretical frame providing typologies of approaches to the solutions dealing with their career’s ends, and the transition into their life after the career. The theory of transition, i.e., the theory of transitional stages in the development of an athlete’s motivational structure is a starting point for our research. An unmanaged or unmanageable involution brings about personal problems of a different charac- ter making up for the athlete’s loss of a social economic, psychosocial, and economic capital including loss of sport environment experience for the next generations The observed pilot group consists of sixteen former top athletes in team sports, nine males and seven females. The participants are former professionals, currently non-active players of football, ice-hockey, basketball, and volleyball in the Czech, and/or Czechoslovak top competitions. The semi- structured interviews were chosen to collect data in the previously designed thematic areas such as the development and a course of their sport career, their family background, life or sport crossroads, their lifestyle, needs, goals, and their problem-solving ability in relation to their sport career and involution. The interviews were conducted by lecturers of the FSpS. Data analysis was performed using categorical data sorting followed on by an observation of categorical clusters, and the development and trajectory of an individual athlete’s life story.

Abstract (in Czech)

250 Zora Svobodová, Hana Válková A life of a former athlete after their elite career – a pilot study Život sportovce po ukončení aktivní činnosti – pilotní studie Zora Svobodová, Hana Válková Faculty of Sports Studies, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia Abstract This paper reports on a pilot study of the Faculty of Sports Studies Masaryk University (FSpS) whose objective was to investigate psychosocial variables related to a managed, and/or unmanaged invo- lution at the end of the athlete’s sport career, and their transfer into an ordinary life after their elite sport’s engagement period. Consequently, this study aims to propose a theoretical frame providing typologies of approaches to the solutions dealing with their career’s ends, and the transition into their life after the career. The theory of transition, i.e., the theory of transitional stages in the development of an athlete’s motivational structure is a starting point for our research. An unmanaged or unmanageable involution brings about personal problems of a different charac- ter making up for the athlete’s loss of a social economic, psychosocial, and economic capital including loss of sport environment experience for the next generations The observed pilot group consists of sixteen former top athletes in team sports, nine males and seven females. The participants are former professionals, currently non-active players of football, ice-hockey, basketball, and volleyball in the Czech, and/or Czechoslovak top competitions. The semi- structured interviews were chosen to collect data in the previously designed thematic areas such as the development and a course of their sport career, their family background, life or sport crossroads, their lifestyle, needs, goals, and their problem-solving ability in relation to their sport career and involution. The interviews were conducted by lecturers of the FSpS. Data analysis was performed using categorical data sorting followed on by an observation of categorical clusters, and the development and trajectory of an individual athlete’s life story. Abstrakt Příspěvek seznamuje s pilotním výzkumem FSpS, jehož cílem bylo zjistit – definovat – psychosociální proměnné, které jsou ve vztahu ke zvládnuté či nez vládnuté involuci ve fázi ukončení sportovní kariéry a transferu do běžného života po etapě vrcholového sportu a vytvořit tak základ teoretického rámece, který bude mít charakter typologie přístupů k řešení ukončení kariéry a přechodu do života po kariéře. Východiskem pro náš výzkum je teorie „transition“, tj. teorie přechodových fází ve vývoji motivační struktury sportovce. Nezvládnutá či obtížně zvládaná involuce znamená problémy osobního charak- teru z různých hledisek, ztráty společensko-ekonomické a ztráty psycho-socio-ekonomického kapitálu a zkušeností nejen se sportovním prostředím pro další generace. Sledovanou pilotní skupinou jsou vrcholoví sportovci z anticipačních týmových sportů (fotbal, hokej, basketbal a volejbal), a tvoří ji 16 žen a mužů. Oslovení probandi jsou bývalí (již neaktivní) pro- fesionální sportovci z českých (československých) nejvyšších soutěžích. Prostředkem pro sběr dat byl semi-strukturovaný rozhovor, pro který jsme formulov ali tématické okruhy na téma vývoje a průběhu sportovní kariéry, rodinného zázemí, životních či sportovních křižovatek, životního stylu, potřeb, cílů, a schopnost řešit problémy v souvislosti se sportovní kariérou a involucí. Rozhovory vedli odborní asistenti FSpS. Kvalitativním zpracováním výsledků provádíme kategoriální třídění dat, sledujeme shluk kategorií, vývoj a trajektorii životního příběhu sportovce.

Links

• MUNI/A/1299/2015, interní kód MU: Name: Život bývalého sportovce po vrcholové kariéře

Investor: Masaryk University, Category A