Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Lower levels of career maturity (Brown & Hartley, 1998; Linnemeyer & Brown, 2010; Murphy et al., 1996) influence how athletes struggle to transition after their tenure in professional sports (Williams, 2010; Baillie & Danish, 1992; Bradley, 1976). Unsuccessful career transition can lead to financial trouble and negative psychological responses such as confusion, grief, feelings of failure, depression, and isolation (Blinde & Stratta, 1992; Falls & Wilson, 2013; Fuller, 2014; McKnight et al., 2009; Petitipas, Brewer, & Van Raalte, 2009; Taylor & Ogilvie, 1994). Some professional sports organizations have developed player programs to address retirement concerns but are lacking evidence-based theory to efficaciously support career transitions, and suicide rates for retired professional athletes continue to rise (Baum, 2005). Under-conceptualized programs can result in academic, financial, and personal frustration for the athlete-learner and maladaptive coping strategies. InterMission (IM) has proposed and developed a suite of online education programs, synthesized from the literature on sports psychology and adult education, that aim to consider “the whole athlete-learner” by offering psycho-emotional support during career transition and identity adaptation (Lally, 2006; Ungerleider, 1997). The objective of IM is to enhance the athlete-learner’s ability to think critically while developing core business skills and competencies. The IM model posits that professional athletes have already demonstrated exceptional intelligence and capacity for learning (Gardner, 1999); and prior athletic achievement should be foundational to her or his future integrative learning process (analogous to the treatment of business professionals in executive MBA programs) (Latham et. al, 2004).