Next Play Pro Series - Athletic Identity - Who am I now? Shifting Identities When Entering College Sports

Last week we started our series based on the Next Play Pro Assessment that focused on the athletic identity of an athlete. If you have not read it, the first article that gives more background on the assessment (read here), but for quick context: The Next Play Pro Assessment was built to help guide athletes through the various transitions in their lives and the PhD team that conducted the research for this assessment settled on 8 categories that athletes can score high in:

Identity

Structure

Camaraderie

Competition

Support

Stewardship

Status

Last week we covered the need for structure for international student-athletes when they are entering college sports and today we will focus on the shifting identity/identities of an athlete when they are making that same transition.

The word “athletic identity” is being used in many different ways and in many different forms but for this assessment, we define an athlete that scores high in identity as an individual that (often since very early in their lives) derives key indicators of their self-worth and personality based on their athletic pursuits.?

Athletes who score high in Identity tend to have limited numbers of hobbies and interests outside of their sports. They experience difficulty thinking of themselves in roles not related to their sports, and they limit their social circles to those involved in, or associated with their sport. I still vividly remember talking to an athlete who is now playing professional basketball who thought that scoring high in identity is the “correct answer” and the only way athletes can truly succeed in their sport.

When it comes to international student-athletes, in our experience as well as my own, there are often two types of identity transitions that take place when coming to the US:

1. An athlete who scores high in identity and struggles to establish a new identity in the US. For example, someone may have been a star player in a popular sport in a small country and was widely known for his/her athletic achievements and is now entering college sports as a moderate contributor in a sport that is less popular in the US.?
2. An athlete who scores high in identity and struggles to find connection points outside of sports when moving to the US, ultimately “retreating” into their sport only.

For the first category, it is important to help the athlete see the bigger picture of college sports and the incredible opportunities they have earned for themselves. Particularly individual sport athletes (I played and coached tennis so I know this all too well) have grown up their entire lives mostly worried about themselves and their pursuits on the court. When that gets amplified by a shifting environment in which they feel that their sport and success feel less important in their new environment, negative consequences can follow. Activities that we have seen here that have helped in this situation have been:

1. Reinforcement of the opportunity of college athletics - US college athletics is a unique opportunity that does not exist in any other country. Allowing the athlete to understand that the degree they will earn, the people they will meet, and the experiences they will have off the playing field is a special opportunity to be cherished can be hugely important.
2. Connection to alumni who have used college as a springboard to success - Especially if these are international students who have had a successful career after college athletics, it is important to connect them with these athletes. For athletes who score high in identity, it can be eye-opening to see that a singular focus on athletics is not the only way to be successful during their career and after graduation.
3. Team-building exercises - As quickly as possible make the athlete feel like they are part of a larger collective and of a history of a storied program.?

For the second category, a fast integration into the new country, the campus community, and the athletic department at large can make a huge difference. When someone's personality is strongly tied to their athletic pursuit and they go through a large shift into a new country that they are unfamiliar with, it will be easy for the athlete to only focus on what they know - sports. Allowing athletes to see how they can establish other identities outside of “I am an athlete” in their new environments quickly can lead to a much better transition. To establish identities outside of sport, activities that we have seen that have helped in this situation have been:

1. A strong onboarding/orientation process - Meeting other international students and meeting students (not just student-athletes) in general can allow an athlete to explore all the other identities they can have on a college campus
2. Getting involved in something that is not athletics related - Whether that is an international student club, a charitable organization on campus, or any other groups, showing athletes that there is a lot more to college life than practice, workouts, and games, can be very beneficial
3. Framing their international college athletics experience as an opportunity for identity variety - Moving to a foreign country and establishing a “new life” there can be an incredible opportunity to expand someone’s identity from “I am a tennis/soccer/golf/ etc. player” and set yourself up for success for life after sport as well. Framing the college experience that way early can often help international students settle in as they are also worried about playing time, classes, etc.

Identity transitions are hard for every athlete but those that score high in identity on the assessment need an additional level of care and transitional help. Also, athletes might think that establishing new identities off the field will hurt their performance on it, which is far from the truth.

Hopefully, some of these strategies will prove helpful as you are working with those athletes coming into your campus community.