The Role of Athletic Identity for Career Success: Examining the Mediating Effects of Transferable Skills for Retired Collegiate Athletes in the Workforce

Abstract

Athletes who join the workforce after their athletic career ends often still identify as an athlete. Though participation in athletics helps develop skills that are applicable to the workforce, such as mentoring abilities and emotional intelligence, most skills have yet to be identified. This study aims to address this issue by comparing retired collegiate athletes with non-athletes in the workforce and assessing potentially transferable skills, specifically emotional intelligence, mentoring ability, mentoring receptiveness, self-efficacy, and goal adjustment. The study hypothesizes that these skills mediate the relationship between athletic identity and objective and subjective career success. In a sample of 313 retired collegiate athletes and non-athletes in the workforce, athletes only reported significantly higher self-efficacy than non-athletes; however, athletic identity was unrelated to career success and the mediation hypotheses were rejected. This research used a cross-sectional survey design, which did not allow the assessment of when levels of athletic identity decreased and how transferable skills were developed. Future research should use a longitudinal design to assess the relationships between athletic identity and skill development during athletes’ collegiate career and whether and how they apply after their transition into the workforce.