This informal CPD article, ‘Why Asking Athletes "What's Next?" Isn't Always Helpful’, was provided by Odette Hornby of ACT Community, who embrace a community-first approach to provide holistic support and create more meaningful connections for athletes worldwide.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics are underway, and as athletes cross finish lines and step off podiums, a familiar question echoes through press conferences and social media: "So, what's next?"
The question often comes as a natural curiosity about future plans or a way to keep the conversation going. But for many athletes, particularly those contemplating retirement, this seemingly harmless question carries unexpected weight. It represents something deeper. By constantly asking ‘what’s next?’ we don’t allow athletes to simply be in the moment.
When we ask "what's next?" mere moments after an athlete's defining performance, we're inadvertently reinforcing a dangerous narrative, that who they are is inseparable from what they do. Research suggests that athletes who define themselves exclusively through their sport struggle during their transition out of sport. The research suggests that many elite athletes report feeling "lost" and experiencing "a state of crisis" upon retirement, as their sense of self is entirely consumed by their athletic identity (Cavallerio et al., 2016). Research has also examined athletes' identity upon retiring from elite sport. This suggests that many athletes "may not have many alternatives to build on for structuring a new sense of self" and consequently "may feel depressed and confused about what should be their next self in their life after sport" (Park al., 2013). The study identified this phenomenon as an identity crisis that exists "between who they were and who they will be" (Kerr & Dacyshyn, 2000).
The pressure to immediately answer "what's next?" intensifies an already difficult period post games, often referred to as the post-Olympic depression. According to data published by the International Olympic Committee in 2023, 33.6% of elite athletes suffered from anxiety and depression and when their career ends, 26.4% experience severe mental health problems. Research on Olympic athletes has identified "post-Olympic dark period," a critical transition when the risk of mental distress increases dramatically. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, spoke candidly about experiencing post-Olympic depression after each Games since 2004, describing the feeling as standing at "the edge of a cliff" wondering "Cool, now what?" (Phelps, NBC interview, 2025).
Understanding why athletes struggle with identity transitions requires looking at how athletic careers develop. Elite athletes often begin intensive training during childhood, spending what some researchers estimate as "thousands and thousands of hours practicing and competing" (Brewer & Petitpas, 2017). This intense focus throughout their developmental years means they may have limited opportunities "to explore beyond sport" (Wendling & Sagas, 2020). A comprehensive scoping review of athlete retirement literature identified having a "high athletic identity" as a primary barrier to successful retirement transitions. The review found that athletes with strong athletic identities "experience more intense and more frequent difficulties during the process of retiring from sport" and require longer adjustment periods (Voorheis et al., 2023).
The problem with asking ‘what’s next?’
When we immediately ask "what's next?" we're doing several things, often unintentionally:
- Devaluing the Present Achievement: We signal that what the athlete just accomplished isn't enough to stand on its own. Their years of sacrifice, their moment of triumph or heartbreak, these deserve acknowledgment without immediately moving to the future.
- Reinforcing Performance-Based Worth: The question implies that an athlete's value is tied to their next goal, their next competition, their next achievement. It doesn't allow space for them to simply be human.
- Ignoring the Need for Integration: Research shows that athletes require time to process major events. One study examining Olympic athletes' retirement found that athletes begin developing new roles and identities approximately one year after sports termination, going through "four distinct periods of subjective well-being during transition" (Stephan, 2003). Pushing for immediate answers short-circuits this natural process.
- Creating Impossible Expectations: For athletes considering retirement, "what's next?" can feel like an impossible question when they're still in the space between identities.
Sport life balance
What do athletes actually need?
So, what should we ask instead? Research on successful retirement transitions points to several protective factors:
Space and Time: Athletes need permission to not know what's next. A study on adaptation to life after sport found that successful transitions involve "gradual reduction of training" and adequate "length of time since retirement" rather than immediate pivots to new identities (Voorheis et al., 2023).
Multiple Identities: The research is clear that one of the most important facilitators of successful retirement is "having a good sport-life balance" and "seeking other paths while still competing in sport" (Voorheis et al., 2023). When we ask athletes only about their sport, we reinforce single-dimensional identity rather than supporting them to develop multiple facets of self.
Recognition of the Journey: Athletes benefit from opportunities to reflect on and articulate the lessons learned through sport, not just the wins and losses, but the growth, the relationships, the resilience developed. This reflection helps them understand how their athletic experiences can transfer to other domains of life.
Support Without Pressure: Research shows that athletes who have access to "retirement planning," "support program involvement," and "planned occupation after retirement" experience smoother transitions (Voorheis et al., 2023). But this planning needs to happen before the question is asked publicly, not in response to media inquiries.
How do we move forward?
As we watch the Milano Cortina Olympics and Paralympics unfold, we have an opportunity to change the narrative. Instead of immediately asking "what's next?" when athletes achieve something remarkable or announce retirement, we might try:
- "How does it feel to have done that?"
- "What does this moment mean to you?"
- "What are you most proud of in this journey?"
And crucially, we need to create space for athletes to say "I don't know yet" without that being seen as concerning or newsworthy. Athletes are human beings first. They deserve the space to grieve when careers end, to celebrate without immediate expectations, and to discover who they are beyond the sport that has defined them for so long.
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References
Brewer, B. W., & Petitpas, A. J. (2017). Athletic identity foreclosure. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 118-122.
Cavallerio, F., Wadey, R., & Wagstaff, C. R. D. (2016). Understanding overuse injuries in rhythmic gymnastics: A 12-month ethnographic study. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 10(1), 105-123.
Kerr, G., & Dacyshyn, A. (2000). The retirement experiences of elite, female gymnasts. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 12(2), 115-133.
Park, S., Lavallee, D., & Tod, D. (2013). Athletes' career transition out of sport: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 6(1), 22-53.
Stephan, Y. (2003). Repercussions of transition out of elite sport on subjective well-being: A one-year study. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 15(4), 354-371.
Wendling, E., & Sagas, M. (2020). An application of the social cognitive career theory model of career self-management to college athletes' career planning for life after sport. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 9.
Voorheis P, Silver M, Consonni J. Adaptation to life after sport for retired athletes: A scoping review of existing reviews and programs. PLoS One. 2023 Sep 21;18(9):e0291683. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291683. PMID: 37733723; PMCID: PMC10513329.
