The Final Whistle  

You won’t know how you will feel about your sport coming to an end until it happens. You can hear other people’s perspectives who have gone through it, but you won’t truly understand until you feel the emotions for yourself. Nothing prepares you for it. According to the American Psychiatric Association, sports retirement can lead to feelings of depression and loss, worry about the future, and low life satisfaction. To add on, retiring from a sport or hobby you have done all your life could have large impacts on your mental health, due to the athletes not knowing who they are outside their sport, according to Trine University.  

I spoke with Noah Melick, a former soccer player at The University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a current soccer trainer running his own business, to hear his experience and expertise. When I asked him how he felt when he realized soccer was over for him, he said it was extremely sad because he played it his whole life. He mentioned how it was a completely different lifestyle without college soccer and he had to get used to certain things like not working out every day, and not having everything scheduled for you. Soccer was his entire identity, he explained, and when it all ended, it felt like a loss. People would still ask him how soccer was, instead of asking him how he is doing, because all growing up, he was known as the soccer player to others. He said he did not realize how truly ingrained soccer was into his life until it was gone in the way he was used to. Melick started his training business to stay in the game because he realized he needed to fill the competitive drive that he has always had in him. When I asked him his biggest piece of advice for others going through this transition he said, “Your worth was never just in how you played, it’s in how you rise again, how you give back, and how you pour that same fire into others. Don’t mourn the end of your playing days, honor them by evolving into someone who your college self would be proud of.”  

Another Perspective 

I spoke with Triva Hall, a life coach who has dedicated her life to helping others improve their life for the past 30 years. She had a lot of insight to share on this topic and advice to help make the transition smoother. Here’s some of her expert insight. Before you graduate and start the transition, Hall mentioned knowing who you are as a whole person. There is an exercise you can do for this called the Wheel of Life that she mentioned. It helps you examine what is important to you and what things fulfill you to make you feel like your whole self. People identify as just the sport so they begin to lose sense of self. You are a lot of other things, so finding out what those other things are will be imperative in this journey, says Hall. You make a commitment to your sport for majority of your life, and when you start transitioning out of the sport, you now have to make a commitment to yourself. Motivation comes from within and Hall mentioned a great book called, Atomic Bombs, that is helpful with self-motivation.  

Being done with your sport is like a loss, a grieving period, so afterwards give yourself time to process. Your body is going to change since you aren’t using it in the ways you used to, so self-acceptance is key. Accepting yourself for where you are NOW versus then is another concept Hall mentioned. Your health fits into your lifestyle now, so now that you’re done with your sport, redefining what healthy means to you is important. You feed and fuel what is in front of you, so now that it looks different than past you need to decide what is “healthy” for your current lifestyle. As an athlete, most are used to being praised and celebrated for their athletic achievements, even how they praise themselves. Success becomes defined by their athletic ability. It is extremely important to re-explore what success means to you, embrace what you had in the moment, and focus on the future.   

Hall says, “How can I nurture this new version of the same person? You get to choose what’s in front of you and that’s a beautiful thing. The transition has a lot to do with personal choice.” One of the most important things Hall talked about was knowing you don’t have to do this alone. Sometimes people will struggle identifying what makes them whole on their own, so ask for help; reach out. Athletes have coaches for their sport, but they also have coaches for transitioning out of playing your sport, you are not alone.  

The Playbook for Life After Sports 

According to Psychology of Sport and Exercise, athletic identity is how strongly someone sees themselves as an athlete and it can help immensely with motivation and performance in sports. On the other hand, because it becomes such a big part of who they are, it can also make it harder for athletes to adjust when they retire from sports. Because of this, when our sport has come to an end, we must figure out what else makes up our identity. Identity is defined as, “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual: Individuality,” according to Merriam-Webster. You can begin to find your identity by completing the Wheel of Life exercise that Hall suggested. Another way you can re-explore your identity is by writing down at least 5 identifiers that describe you, not including anything about being an athlete. This will allow you to clearly see what else makes up who you are besides your sport.  

One of the most important takeaways is to seek help if you need it. You are never alone and there is nothing to be ashamed of. According to the National Center for Health Statistics by the CDC, “the percentage of adults who had received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months increased from 2019 to 2021, among both adults of all ages (from 19.2% to 21.6%) and those aged 18–44 (from 18.5% to 23.2%).” Knowing this, the rate of seeking help is only increasing as the stigma decreases, so don’t hesitate to reach out for help.  

Leaving behind the athlete life that’s all you’ve known isn’t easy, but it doesn’t mean that you’re lost. It means you’re evolving. You are far more than your stats, your number, your jersey, and your sport. With all this information in mind and using the tips provided, you will be able to cross that bridge of transitioning out of your sport with dedication, positivity, and open-mindedness. The final whistle isn’t the end of your story, it’s just the beginning. Your book doesn’t have to close. Turn the page, adapt, stay persistent, and dig in; because that’s what athletes do.