1. The subjective feeling of control over career termination is crucial for emotional and coping reactions, with planned retirement leading to better adjustment.
2. A cross-national comparison was conducted between German, Lithuanian, and Russian athletes' reactions to career termination, with differences in political and sport systems affecting their adjustment.
3. Athletic identity was found to correlate negatively with emotional satisfaction after retirement and adaptation to it.
The article "Reactions to sport career termination: a cross-national comparison of German, Lithuanian, and Russian athletes" provides an overview of the reasons for and adjustment to career termination among athletes from different countries. The study focuses on the effects of planned vs. unplanned retirement, gender differences, and cross-national comparisons between Germany, Lithuania, and Russia.
The article presents a comprehensive review of previous studies on sport career termination and its impact on athletes' emotional and behavioral adjustment. However, the article has some potential biases that need to be considered. For example, the study only includes former amateur athletes who retired no longer than 10 years ago. This may limit the generalizability of the findings to other populations or time periods.
Moreover, the article's hypotheses are not always supported by evidence. For instance, while it is hypothesized that planned retirement will lead to better emotional and behavioral adjustment to career termination, there is no clear evidence presented in the study to support this claim. Similarly, while it is hypothesized that athletic identity would correlate negatively with emotional satisfaction after retirement and adaptation to retirement, there is no clear explanation provided for why this might be the case.
Additionally, some important points of consideration are missing from the article. For example, there is no discussion of how cultural factors may influence athletes' reactions to career termination or how socioeconomic status may affect their post-career opportunities. These factors could have significant implications for athletes' adjustment to retirement but are not explored in depth in this study.
Furthermore, while the article provides a cross-national comparison between Germany, Lithuania, and Russia, it does not explore potential counterarguments or alternative explanations for any observed differences between these countries. For example, it is suggested that athletes from East European countries may feel more committed to sport and have a higher athletic identity than German athletes due to differences in political and sport systems. However, other factors such as cultural values or individual differences could also contribute to these differences.
Overall, while the article provides a useful overview of the reasons for and adjustment to career termination among athletes from different countries, it has some potential biases and limitations that need to be considered. Future research could explore these issues in more depth and provide a more nuanced understanding of how athletes adjust to retirement across different contexts.