The Occupational Mobility of Professional Athletes

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A career as a professional soccer player in Britain has a restricted timespan; it is only a short-term occupation. In view of the time commitment, dedication and involvement required in a professional soccer career, very few players in the contemporary professional game are encouraged or are motivated to continue to pursue educational studies or alternative occupational experiences in preparation for a post-playing career occupational position. Considering the limited worth of professional soccer skills outside of the professional game organization, pro fessional players may be without a serviceable occupational skill and employment position at the termination of a professional soccer-playing career. The study was directed at testing the broad hypothesis that former professional soccer players in Great Britain will experience downward occupational mobility at the conclusion of their professional playing careers. In addition to the basic premise and as a result of the examination of previous literature, the study incorporated the gathering of data on four dimensions of occupational mobility and their relationship with the general findings. The mobility mechanisms selected were social recognition; alternative occupational training; level of educational attain ment ; and social status background. The results supported the general hypothesis showing that former players experienced downward mobility, in terms of occupational status and income level, at the conclusion of their playing careers (42 out of an N=52). Subsequent analysis of the findings when correlated with the four mobility dimensions in dicated that the occupational status of the soccer player was subjectively based and this had only short term effects on future occupational mobility. The objective dimensions, education and occupational training, were not generally encouraged during playing careers by clubs since they were considered interferences. Con sequently only 28% (15 out of N=52) had pursued educational or alternative occu pational training during their playing careers. The study did not attempt to explore personal, psychological and sociological consequences of the changing status of the former players. This form of analysis is a logical progression for future research. However, a number of case studies indicated that former players do experience difficulty in adjusting to a new life- style.