Symbolic Power and Dual Careers of Athletes: Successful Career Transition Experiences of Korean College Athletes Who Quit Sport

This study explored the successful career transition experiences of Korean college athletes who ceased to participate in sport prior to completing their college eligibility. In particular, the research addressed the ways in which they overcame challenges while pursuing their desired post-sport career paths. A qualitative approach was adopted to explore participants' life transitions, uncovering six primary themes: (1) entering the athletic specialist system: motivations and goals; (2) exit from sport: injury, failure of rehabilitation, bullying, and abandonment; (3) challenges in transition: prejudice, exclusion, and stigmatisation; (4) cultivating academic integrity to obtain degrees; (5) social networking outside of athletic culture; and (6) financial and emotional support. The findings were analysed by drawing on Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, social capital, and cultural capital, including physical and educational forms of capital. Findings help to identify factors that aided former athletes in overcoming barriers and gaining competencies to succeed in their careers after sport.

Automated summary

This study explores the experiences of Korean college athletes who transitioned to careers after their sporting careers ended. The findings reveal that these athletes faced challenges in pursuing their desired post-sport careers, but overcame them through cultivating academic integrity, establishing social networks, and receiving financial and emotional support. These findings help identify the factors that aid former athletes in overcoming barriers and succeeding in their careers after sport.