(2003) found that athletes did not like the lack of physical activity associated with retirement. In addition, the athletes stated they did not like dropping their athletic identity and adopting an ordinary identity (Stephan et al., 2003). Lastly, they stated that they missed the traveling associated with their athletic careers (Stephen et al., 2003). During the second interview (five months after retirement), the athletes attempted to avoid a passive and relaxing lifestyle (Stephen et al., 2003). In addition, they expressed difficulties relying on themselves to make important decisions, as they had been accustomed to their coaches making those decisions for them (Stephen et al., 2003). For the athletes who went into coaching after retirement, they stated that it was difficult not to identify themselves with the athletes they were coaching (Stephen et al., 2003). During the third interview (eight months after retirement), the athletes learned how to engage in physical activities at a leisurely rate, (Stephen et al., 2003). One common problem at this stage in the interviewing was not feeling competent in their new occupational environment (Stephen et al., 2003). During the final interview (11-12 months after retirement), the athletes stated the major challenge was balancing their job, exercise, and down time (Stephen et al., 2003). Furthermore, they expressed the leisurely physical activity was an …show more content…
Six weeks after retirement, the athletes reported mostly negative symptoms. However, they seemed to improve as time went on. Again, the results indicated that athletes who retire voluntarily experience distressful reactions to the transition, but in a less-severe fashion than athletes who retire