Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

In sports, everything can change in the blink of an eye. Elite athletes can go from being the best in the world one day to out of the game the next, and most athletes’ careers are over by the time they reach their mid-thirties. The physical decline that coincides with their athletic “retirement” can shatter their personal, professional, and social identities. For this study, I conducted interviews with masters and retired elite athletes, coaches, and people who have spent decades working in the world of sports. I draw from theoretical work on embodiment to examine corporeal decline and adaptation to retirement among athletes. Findings illustrate how physical decline and significant role transitions influence social identity, ultimately demonstrating that the loss of athletic identity has important implications for aging societies.