Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / What Happens When the Cheering Stops for Athletes?

What Happens When the Cheering Stops for Athletes?

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Feb 05, 2019

No Comments

Every athlete, regardless of talent level, will eventually retire from playing competitive sports.  For most, this decision will be made for them through deselection (being cut from a team).  Others will retire from sports due to injury, and some will voluntarily quit.  Regardless of how an athlete exits sports, it’s important to accept that all athletes will eventually retire — and that sport retirement often leaves athletes vulnerable to a number of outcomes and consequences that can dramatically effect future human development.

When the cheering stops…

Life can be quite different for athletes once their careers end, and the changes are experienced almost immediately.  No longer can the athlete still refer to him- or herself as “athlete,” and many of the previous privileges quickly end.  All the attention of being an athlete subsides, and the support system made up of teammates goes away as well.  Once adorned by fans, many former athletes transition from living like a celebrity to suddenly being unnoticed.  The reality is when a sports career ends, it can almost feel like being fired from a job you love.

When the cheering stops athletes need to quickly re-define who they are, as well as adjust to being regular citizen in society.  Athletes also need to re-direct their attention to a new future career, which might include first finishing school.  Re-adjusting to life after sports can also be difficult losing all the structure that sports provide — no longer will there be a set schedule, dedicated counselors and advisors, or access to previous facilities.  Most athletes find themselves looking on the outside in, and some feel quickly forgotten as a result.

Sport retirement issues at the youth level

Don’t assume that only retiring professional athletes struggle during the sport retirement transition, as many college, high school, and youth-level athletes experience similar problems.  Successful athletes, regardless of age, often receive a lot of attention for their success, and are sometimes enabled because of it.  When special privileges are afforded to athletes, it creates a sense of entitlement and invincibility, making things even more challenging when sport retirement occurs and those special concessions end.  These abrupt changes can lead to questions around personal identity, career planning, and what to do without sports?  And, of course, most athletes are left to their own devices when it comes to finding solutions to those questions since they no longer have teammates and coaches for support.

Final thoughts

The answer to what happens when the cheering stops is a lot.  Loss of fanfare, special privileges, team support, and personal identity are just a few immediate issues athletes experience, while long-term closure issues loom.  Athletes who leave sports due to injury, as well as those who assumed they would “make it” to the next level but didn’t are usually the most at-risk for mental health struggles.  For help with sport retirement check out Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, the first career text designed to provide athletes hands-on help for successfully moving on to a post-sports identity and career.

drstankovich.com

athletes, coping, psychology, retirement, sport, Stress, transition

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • July 6, 2022 Kids Want to Play Sports, But Adults Can Sometimes Make this Difficult
  • June 29, 2022 Don’t Discount the Value of Fun, Unstructured Play for Kids Mental Health
  • June 20, 2022 Sports Parents & Coaches Can Use Youth Sports as a Mental Health Boost for Kids
  • June 15, 2022 Show Kids How Much You Care Before You Teach Them What You Know
  • June 14, 2022 Study Finds Team Sports May be Best for Kids & their Mental Health

PREVIOUS POST

Don’t Let the Pebble in Your Shoe Take You Down for the Day

NEXT POST

Knowledge is (Potential) Power

Category

Amateur , Athletes , Athletic Counseling , Athletic Department , Continuing Education , Cuts , Eligibility , Leadership , NCAA , Off Field Issues , Prep , Pro , Pro and College Sports , Sport Philosophy , Sport Psychology , Sport Sociology , Sport Transitions , Sports Parenting , Sports Retirement , Uncategorized , Youth and Interscholastic Sports , Youth Sports

Tags

athletes, coping, psychology, retirement, sport, Stress, transition

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • Kids Want to Play Sports, But Adults Can Sometimes Make this Difficult
  • Don't Discount the Value of Fun, Unstructured Play for Kids Mental Health
  • Sports Parents & Coaches Can Use Youth Sports as a Mental Health Boost for Kids
  • Show Kids How Much You Care Before You Teach Them What You Know
  • Study Finds Team Sports May be Best for Kids & their Mental Health
  • Overcome the Fear of Failure, Improve Mental Toughness, & Experience Success
  • How Much Impact Does a Coach Have on Sports Team Success?
  • Avoid the Dangers of "Whataboutism" for Better Relationships & Improved Mental Health
  • Help Kids Maximize Youth Sports by Using Athletic Transferable Skills
  • Improve Mental Health by Means of Catharsis & Purging Negative Thoughts
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2022 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓