Sport Narratives

Abstract

Recently there has been a call for alternative styles of representation within the social sciences. This includes using fiction, poetry, and drama to convey people's lived experiences. Whereas many social scientists continue to theorize about experimenting with writing and research and to argue the benefits, few have provided examples of how this might look. With this article, the author attempts to fill that void by presenting three short stories that reflect his understanding of the sports retirement experiences of 12 New Zealand athletes. The men and women interviewed had all competed in either an Olympic Games or a world championship in their sports, and the transition out of sports required a serious adjustment for all of them. The three stories in this article explore the various stages of their adjustment.