ATHLETIC IDENTITY AND IDENTITY CLOSURE

Risks of basing self-esteem exclusively on sport.

Strong athletic identity is a double-edged sword: necessary for high performance, but dangerous to mental health if exclusive.

When an individual defines him/herself solely as "I am an athlete," the end of his/her career (whether through normative retirement or injury) means the total loss of his/her "self."

This lack of identity diversification is a risk factor for post-career depression, financial problems and family crises.

Statistics in professional leagues reveal high rates of bankruptcy and divorce a few years after retirement.

This happens because the athlete loses not only his or her income, but the social structure and external validation (adulation, VIP status) that sustained his or her self-esteem.

An example would be a professional soccer player who, after years of being treated like a celebrity and having all his logistical needs met by the club, retires at age 35 and finds himself unable to manage the basic administration of his household or find satisfaction in daily activities that lack the adrenaline rush of the stadium.

Career transition and the post-retirement void.

Sports retirement often entails an abrupt fall from the pinnacle of social relevance to anonymity.

The higher the status achieved and the narrower the athletic identity, the harder the fall.

The athlete must face an existential "void" and the reality that his or her physical abilities, once his or her greatest asset, no longer have market value.

It is essential to separate the social identity from the athletic identity before this moment arrives. Imagine an Olympic medalist in swimming.

For years, his life has been timed to the millimeter and his social circle restricted to the pool. When he retires, the phone stops ringing and sponsors disappear.

If you haven't cultivated other facets of your personality, you may feel "useless" in the real world.

The psychological challenge is to help him understand that swimming was what he did, not what he is, and that his value as a human being persists beyond hi