Strive United: Answering the Call to Support Athletes Through Retirement from Sport

In this paper, the author investigates athlete retirement from sport, including a review of current research, existing programs supporting athlete retirement, and a proposal for a research-informed athlete retirement program. Researchers have found that athletic identity, sources of support, perceptions of control, and amount of time for retirement planning are important factors in transition out of sport. Existing programs, however, focus mainly on career transition and do not include components to help facilitate identity formation outside sport, social support and community, and resource building. The proposed athlete retirement program in this paper includes broader services to athletes beyond career transition to support athletes towards a healthy transition out of sport