Playing in the past, transitioning into the future : an ethnographic study of athletic identity

Includes bibliographical references (pages 58-62).For fans, athletes, and coaches, the experience of intercollegiate competition is quite powerful. While most fans may cheer less enthusiastically for women's sports, female athletes are no less skilled or dedicated to their sport. Unfortunately, female athletes usually do not have a future beyond college and continue to play just for the love of the game. Despite the increased visibility of Olympic softball, college softball players have little prospects of playing professionally. College is a time in life where students create and maintain their personal identities, but serious athletes develop their identities as they also develop and sustain a physical and psychological commitment to sport; college softball players are no different. This internalized self-concept influences every other area in an athlete's life. With the conclusion of athletic eligibility, student-athletes find themselves in transition from being a current member of a team to a former membership status. Like most athletes, when a female softball player retires from competition they experience a loss of identity, find little guidance or support from their coaches and college administrative staff, and are usually left to figure things out on their own. Employing the theory of identity foreclosure, this study draws on semi-structured interviews to explore athletes' experiences of being National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I softball players as they transition out of collegiate athletics. The themes (a) "losing my identity," (b) "of course I'm a softball player," (c) "family, friends and coaches influence me," (d) "my schedule keeps me busy," (e) "no one there to help me," and (f) "what happens next" illustrate that improved communication between collegiate softball players and their parents, coaches, and peers is needed to encourage the exploration of other identities. As identity foreclosure is part and parcel of becoming an elite athlete, the NCAA is responsible for creating programs to help participating athletes develop a healthy transition out of their college career