Retired athletes : when the spotlight dims : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Sport and Exercise, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
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Date
2016
DOI
Open Access Location
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Massey University
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to; (1) examine the experiences of elite New Zealand athletes
during the retirement transition and, (2) determine whether current retirement-related
assistance in New Zealand is perceived by elite athletes to enhance adjustment to retirement
from elite-level sport. An extensive literature review underlies the study by introducing
theories and models related to athletic retirement and examining what is currently known
about the experiences of elite athletes during the transition. Semi-structured interviews were
used to gather descriptive data from 16 former elite New Zealand athletes who retired within
seven years of commencement of the study. Data was analysed using NVivo software and
Taylor and Ogilvie’s (1994) conceptual model of adaptation to retirement was used in a
thematic analysis of data. This study provided clearer understanding of the experiences of
elite New Zealand athletes regarding the retirement transition, and helped to identify whether
current athlete retirement-related interventions are sufficient. As well, participants made
suggestions for future retirement interventions and/or changes to interventions currently
offered. New findings revealed that career/education interventions were available to and
highly used by 12 participants who were carded and had access to these interventions.
Availability and usage of psychological/emotional interventions was found to be limited or
non-existent. Findings that were aligned with or contested previous literature included multicausal
reasons led to all participants’ retirements. Participants experienced high athletic
identity, high perceived control over their retirement, and retirements that, to varying degrees,
were both voluntary and involuntary. Pre-planning was the most prominent resource used and
enhanced participants’ career prospects. Furthermore, it was found that most participants had
both positive and negative retirement experiences during the transition. Future research could
include longitudinal designs, which might provide a more accurate account of athletes’
experiences and perceptions of the retirement transition as they occur, in particular the
variables (e.g. athletic identity, social support) encountered.
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Keywords
Athletes, Retirement, New Zealand