ATHLETIC IDENTITY MEETS COVID-19

Being a teenager is difficult no matter what, and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is making it even harder. For teenagers facing life changes due to the outbreak who are feeling anxious, isolated, and disappointed, know this: you are not alone. This may be especially the case for athletes, who are already more likely than the average person to experience a mental health disorder during interruptions to their career – usually due to injuries or retirement. So given that sports have now been canceled or postponed, the restrictions may be more difficult for athletes to handle.

WHY ARE ATHLETES VULNERABLE?

What all of us are experiencing right now is a transition. Athletes spend many years forming an “athletic identity” which is a commitment to an athletic self stemming from a young age. Athletes begin to sacrifice other types of identities available to them in their pursuit of sporting success. There are currently many thousands of athletes worldwide who can no longer use sport to support their athletic identity. These athletes are unable to train to the same intensity and access the same equipment and facilities required for them to maintain elite levels of physical and technical performance. In other words, they are literally

unable to achieve their goals. This change in lifestyle is difficult for athletes all over the world, especially those who feel that their sport is their identity.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

This cancellation of competition offers a glimpse into a very important and inevitable moment in the future of all athletes, the end of an athletic career. Thinking about your life unattached from your athletic identity is healthy and those that offer the most resistance to this idea are often the ones who stand to personally gain something from your singular devotion to the sport. It actually puts you in a better place, because you realize that this moment, your sports career, is not the only chapter in your life. It also allows you to recognize how UNIQUE this temporary opportunity is, and gives you extra incentive to work towards it whilst not allowing your current dream to overwhelm all the other facets of your life.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

Make the most of this downtime to contemplate the potential return of sports to your life, and, the inevitable end of sports in your life. Engage in things that will add worth and positivity to who you are. Your private off-ramp to life as a former athlete is looming, whether it is next week, next year or in the next decade. This is not a bad thing. Use this intermission to contemplate accordingly. LIFE AFTER SPORTS EXISTS and if you take the time to understand that the smoother the transition will be.

A VIDEO TO BETTER UNDERSTAND ATHLETIC IDENTITY: