Navigating Athletic Identity, Retirement Transitions, and Self-Discovery: Exiting the Arena

There appears to be a gap in the literature when it comes to examining the role that grief and loss might play while athletes undergo the reconstruction of their identity post-sport. Navigating Athletic Identity, Retirement Transitions, and Self-Discovery: Exiting the Arena investigates the long and often studied concept of identity in athletes from the perspective of transitioning identity as a potential form of loss. Ultimately, we posit that identity transition should also be understood as a form of identity loss, and research conceptualizing the grieving process that athletes experience in that transition should be studied more deeply.

Gary Senecal is assistant professor in the Department of Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies at Assumption University.

Christian Williams is assistant professor in the Department of Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies at Assumption University.