AFTER ATHLETICS: HOW WELL PREPARED ARE HIGH LEVEL STUDENT ATHLETES FOR LIFE AFTER THEIR LAST GAME? - A STUDY OF THE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE LEVELS.

Abstract

Youth sports have been a massive part of American society throughout the last century. Over the past couple of decades, youth sports have become increasingly competitive. Therefore, athletes who want to make it to and succeed at these levels have had to spend greater amounts of time focused on their sport. While sports can undoubtedly help those who participate by teaching crucial life lessons and skills related to teamwork, commitment, and time management, they can also take away from athletes’ abilities to explore other interests. This becomes a major problem when athletes finish their last competition and have to figure out how to spend their time and make a living. This paper seeks to understand that problem at the high school and college levels. Once more, it focuses on the resources which athletes are given to help them plan for life after competition. The sample size I was able to analyze was relatively small. At each of the high schools I looked at, athletes had adequate support to prepare for life after sports. At the college level, I found that athletes had a plethora of resources for career and self exploration available but that not all of them had enough time to make use of these resources. This research can be expanded upon by looking at other high schools, smaller colleges, and the resources given to athletes on youth club teams