"I am an athlete": A multiple case study of Division I female athletes' post-sport transitions and influences on athletic identity

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how transitioning out of collegiate soccer influenced the athletic identities of Division I female collegiate athletes who were no longer pursuing competitive athletics. Because fewer than 2% of Division I student-athletes go on to a professional career in athletics (National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA], 2018a), the expiration of eligibility often signals the end to an athletic self the student-athlete may have identified with since youth (NCAA, 2016). This multiple case study focused on four female athletes' narrated experiences of their journeys 8-16 years after they exited their collegiate athlete roles. Each participants' experiences were examined through three in-depth interviews with artifact collection.This study applied a posteriori theories to the data collected. Four main findings and two sub-findings emerged from the data analysis. First, the initial operationalization of athletic identity was influenced by each individual's attributes, personality, preferences, opportunities, and life experiences. Second, athletes physically transitioned out of competitive sport but not out of their identities as athletes. The concept of "athletic identity" was too unidimensional to capture women's multidimensional experiences of exiting collegiate soccer, and new motherhood required reassessing identity, including recalibration of athletic identity. Third, the women's level of anticipation and preparation for the transition out of collegiate sport contributed to the ease of the transition experience participants described. Finally, each athlete's transition experience remained unique and did not align with an overall model or expectation. To better understand how transitioning out of collegiate athletics may influence female athletic identities, these findings have significant implications for the NCAA, athletic departments, and personnel who work with current and former student-athletes, particularly at Division I institutions