Who am I now that I no longer play sport?

A common issue faced by retiring athletes is a loss of identity. How do you cope?




To get your question about athlete retirement answered, comment here or write to admin@successbeyondsport.com

Dajka,Darcy - there is life after sport

I'm saddened to hear that another athlete has succumbed to the negative pressures of sport. A talented Australian cyclist, Jobie Dajka, was found dead on 8 April seemingly unable to deal with the aftermath of expulsion from the 2004 Olympic team for lying to a doping enquiry. The following year, an altercation with the Australian track cycling coach, Martin Barras, added to his woes which included depression and alcoholism.
Australian Swimmer Nick Darcy now faces a similar life situation - expulsion from the Australian Swimming team for a criminal conviction. What choices will he make with his life? Does he know that he has choices?
Dajka apparently warned Darcy of the dangers of bottling things inside and not seeking help. Its a shame that Dajka didn't take his own advice and seek help for his inner demons.
There is more to life than sport but when an individual's identity is so wrapped up with being an athlete it can be hard to consider the life outside. Identity governs everything we do, and when that is lost a person will feel confused and lost. They might make the mistake of thinking that without sport they are nothing.
In fact the opposite is true. They can do so much more, if they choose to, and seek the help to discover a new passion and most importantly, a new identity.
Yes, it is possible to change but it takes awareness of the need to change, a desire to do something about it and seeking help and support.

Who are you now that you no longer player sport?

A retired athlete can face challenges in moving on beyond sport regardless of how prepared they think they are. A life committed to sport can result in a strong identification as an athlete or sportsperson and even specifically with the sport that they play.

Rather than looking forward towards a new career, a retired athlete might find themselves looking to the past at how they were, and what they did achieve. They may even make the mistake of thinking that’s all there is.

An individual’s identity has a strong influence over their actions, decisions and even beliefs. Identity is an “I am” statement and a person can have several. A person may identify with their job (I am an electrician), their hobby or interests (I am a good cook) or even their emotions (I am depressed).

Your identity has overarching control over everything you do.... Read more

How identity can affect transition

Many athletes can get stuck on their identity as an athlete or sportsperson. I know I did. For years I kept returning to my sport beach volleyball because that was what I knew and loved and it was also what I was! A strong attachment such as this can prevent someone moving on, particularly if it precludes the individual from being anything other than a sportsperson, for example a business person.
With a change of career on retirement from sport, it takes more than taking on a new job for a successful transition. A retired athlete needs to 'be' the person that goes with the new role. One needs to relate completely in order to be successful and find fulfillment.
What identity do you need to create success in your new career?
As long as an athlete still has the attachment to being a sportsperson, it prevents them from looking ahead to the future new success. Whether the past success was great or magnificent, what matters more is how you use it to create your future.
What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now. ~Author Unknown

Good Luck Matthew Hayden

Another sporting legend has retired. This week Australian Cricketer, Matthew Hayden, decided to retired gracefully from the game after being dropped from the team the previous week. Poor batting results led to his eventual sacking. Whenever a successful sportstar starts to underperform there tends to be controversy on whether to keep them on or let them go. In a team sport the needs of the team will usually come before the needs of an individual. The key decision makers of Australian cricket simply chose what was best for the good of the team, and cannot keep on a team member simply on past performance or loyalty. A team, and even companies, will go down if they did the latter.
It must have been a difficult decision for Hayden, as less than 2 months ago he spoke of his love for the game and that he had no plans to retire.
There are some that feel Hayden was forced to retire. No-one or nothing can force us to do anything. Yes, recent circumstance forced him to come to a decision point, and in future years he may be grateful for coming to this point sooner than later.
He had a choice to make and I hope he made his choice based on considering how he wanted to spend his next few years - persisting in proving himself making a comeback playing State cricket, or taking on new challenges. In one report, he says that he considered hanging in there to prove his critics wrong. Fortunately he decided against this. This is the wrong motivation for anyone. Hayden doesn't have anything more to prove and I congratulate him for having the courage to move on from a life he knows so well and leap into the unknown. The good thing is that he has new dreams working with charity and as long as he identifies with his new role he will be immensely successful. Good luck.