Relationship between athletic identity and life satisfaction as a function of motive for retirement from professional soccer

Abstract

While Athletic identity and the different reasons for sports retirement have been considered key variables to understand how athletes cope with sports career termination, the relationship between these and life satisfaction remains inconclusive. A total of 108 male individuals retired from English professional football were part of this study. Their answers to the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were analyzed through statistical hypotheses tests and bivariate correlations. Although no statistical differences were found between the groups, correlational analyses suggest that the relationship between athletic identity and life satisfaction changes depending on the reason for retirement. The implications of these findings in the development of interventions for athletes near to retire is discussed.