‘Life outside the diamond is a wrench’: on experiencing talent loss in sports
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Many elite athletes find the loss of their athletic abilities due to age or injury to be a profoundly challenging experience. While talent development is a well-studied phenomenon, far less attention has been paid to the issue of talent loss. We address this gap by exploring the experience and challenges faced by elite athletes who are losing, or who have lost, their talent. Drawing on three different understandings of the nature of talent, we argue that the experience of talent loss is constituted by three distinct yet interrelated forms of disorientation. We conclude by examining how athletes and those supporting them may respond to these challenges.
Institutions: Tilburg University, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4404510526