Understanding Athletic Identity and Its Importance for Life After Sport

by Josh Lively, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State Student-Athlete Development held an "Athletic Identity" program Tuesday night to continue conversations about the topic and the importance of understanding what it means for a student-athlete once his or her playing days come to an end.

Athletic identity is the degree to which a person identifies with the role of an athlete and looks to others for acknowledgement of that role.

"It's important that we have conversations with our student-athletes about athletic identity and what that means for them after their time in sports comes to an end," said Ben Rodriguez, Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development. "The goal is for our student-athletes to see and be aware of other identities that exist besides sport. I started playing sports when I was five years old. Going through life, that was what gave me a sense of self-worth. When I was done playing, I struggled with that, and I played at an FCS school. I can only imagine what our student-athletes that play at the SEC level. That has to be magnified even more.

"Besides their parents, sports have probably been the longest relationship these student-athletes have ever been in. When it ends, it really is like a breakup. Think about the emotions, stress, anxiety and depression that someone goes through after a breakup but imagine that with a relationship that has lasted for almost your entire life. Sports will come to an end, it is inevitable, but that's not meant to be a negative. Acknowledging and understanding this helps you prepare for your life after sports."

The event started with all second-year fall sport student-athletes filling out a survey to determine their Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, which goes from 10 to 70. If you put 70, that means you eat, breathe and sleep sports, while 10 means you don't care about sports at all. Most student-athletes likely identify towards the higher range, but the goal of this event was to try and get them towards the middle.

When a student-athlete has played sports for their entire life, that identity of an athlete will never go away. It's always going to be something that is a part of who they are as a person, but there is an infinite amount of other identities that make up who someone is. You could be a musician, a movie fanatic, a writer, etc. but it's imperative for student-athletes to know that they are more than just athletes, so when the playing days come to an end, they have something to fall back on.

"This stuff is really important because you can't depend on sports your whole life," said Geor'quarius Spivey from football. "At some point, it's going to end, so you have to find something else to depend on, such as school. It's important for us to come to these events and take in everything and understand it, because at some point, sports are going to end for everyone."

One of the misconceptions revolving around athletic identity is that the more you focus your time and efforts into your athletic identity, the less you put towards your career maturity. But why can't student-athletes put an equal effort towards both areas? Would it be hard? Yes. Is it impossible? No. There are examples across the country of what it looks like to make both of these areas a priority and work hard at them.

Look no further than former Mississippi State men's tennis star Nuno Borges. During his career, he garnered numerous accolades ranging from ITA National Player of the Year to being named a five-time All-American and three-time SEC Player of the Year. However, he also boasted a cumulative 3.90 GPA at the end of last spring and earned his bachelor's degree in the fall. He was twice named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-American team during his junior and senior seasons.

"It is attainable, but I'm not sure anyone is telling them this, and that's why it's so important to have these conversations with them," said Rodriguez.

The event offered some solutions and suggestions to help cope with the transition into life after sports, such as being independent, redefining one's identity, joining recreational leagues or setting goals outside of sports. The talk ended with this closing thought: "Don't let college be the best years of your life."

College should be some of the fondest memories for a student-athlete. It's a time to reflect on their days spent playing the game they grew up loving alongside some of their closest friends. But if college is the best years of their life, what does that mean once they graduate?

"If those are the best years of your life, then you haven't set yourself up for hopefully a successful 50-plus years afterwards," said Rodriguez. "I don't want that for our student-athletes."

Last September, Mississippi State rebranded its Life Skills department to Student-Athlete Development. Mississippi State believes in the philosophy that an athletic department's priority is to enhance the student-athlete experience and that success, academically, athletically and personally, is a byproduct. Through the use of interactive workshops and experiential learning opportunities, Mississippi State will strive to provide student-athletes with experiences that will prepare them for success as they transition into college, continue through their collegiate careers, and embark on their professional careers.

For the most up-to-date information, follow MSU Student-Athlete Development on Twitter by searching for "HailStateSADev."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Understanding Athletic Identity and Its Importance for Life After Sport

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