[Thoughts on Supporting Athletes' Second Careers] Why Do Athletes "Retire Without Knowing Their Options"?
Hello!
I'm Ma-, and I work on dual-career and post-retirement career support for athletes.
For those who have given their all to their active careers, it's often not that there are "no" paths after retirement, but rather that they "just haven't seen them yet."
In this article, I would like to consider why so many athletes finish their competitive careers without knowing their options, the background behind this, and the perspectives needed to broaden their future.
1. When retirement approaches, the pain may not come from having "no future," but from "not knowing the future."
While continuing to compete, you might suddenly find a thought crossing your mind one day.
What kind of work will I do from here on out?
What can I do after I leave the world of competition?
I hear terms like "second career" or "dual career," but it feels like it's still too early for me.
However, it's not that I'm not curious.
It is not unusual for athletes to feel anxious after retirement.
Isn't it because they have run this far without knowing what paths lie beyond their competitive career?
Those who have truly committed themselves to their sport have poured their all into every day right in front of them.
That is why, when retirement approaches, they are likely to pause for the first time and wonder, "Where should I go from here?"
The true nature of this anxiety is often not a lack of ability, but a lack of information.
And this lack of information is often difficult to bridge through the individual's efforts alone.
2. "Not having the bandwidth to think about life after retirement" happens naturally in the daily life of an athlete
The daily life of an active athlete is truly busy.
Practice, matches, away games, rehabilitation, conditioning, and travel.
With results being demanded, it is not easy to find the time to think calmly about the future.
Moreover, from those around them, an atmosphere easily arises that says:
"Let's focus on the sport for now."
"Let's think about it after you get results."
This is not out of malice; it is a natural flow in the world of sports.
Therefore, putting off life planning after retirement is neither laziness nor negligence.
Rather, it is more likely to happen to those who have truly committed themselves to their sport.
When considering second-career support, I intend to first understand this deeply.
3. In fact, "career development while still active" is beginning to spread in Japan as well
What is important here is that it is not the case that there is no support at all.
The Japan Sports Agency states that athletes need a life plan that looks beyond retirement, and for that,career development from the time they are active is important.
Furthermore, the 2025 "Athlete Career Challenge" also conveys that a career is not just after retirement, but is an extension of one's active days.
On the corporate side, there are also voices finding value in athletes' self-management skills, planning ability, and character.
In other words, the options are not zero.
They are just hard to see, and the path is gradually being prepared.
4. Even so, information does not reach many athletes because "having support" is different from "being able to use it"
This is where the essence of this theme lies.
There are systems.
There are support mechanisms.
But when it comes to whether they are reaching the people who need them at the right time, it is still not enough.
In the Japan Sports Agency's fiscal year 2026 materials, it is indicated that out of approximately 1,000 trained athlete career coordinators,about half are not receiving consultations from athletes on a daily basis.
Also, the shortage of supporters who can effectively provide career development support to active athletes is cited as an issue.
Reference:FY2026 Athlete Social Contribution Support Project
In other words, even if there is a system, if there is no close consultant or if there is a difference in the amount of information depending on the environment to which one belongs, athletes may reach retirement without even knowing that such support exists.
I feel that this "information gap" is one of the major reasons why athletes' second careers are so difficult to see.
5. If you retire without knowing your options, you end up deciding your life based only on "what you know," not "what you can do"
In reality, there may be many paths that suit you.
A path working in a company.
A path becoming a coach.
A path involved in sports within the community.
Education, welfare, sports business, communication, and retraining.
I feel that the areas where an athlete's experience can be applied are broader than you might think.
Even so, you cannot choose if you do not know the areas where you can thrive.
This is because people can only choose from within the range they can see.
Therefore, if you retire with little information,
you are likely to decide your life based only on
“the job that happened to be in front of you”
or “a path you vaguely knew about.”
That is not a problem of ability, but a problem of how options are perceived.
I find this to be a great waste.
If you had known sooner, there might have been a path you could have been more satisfied with.
I have seen such situations in the field of support.
6. The possibilities are already there, you just don't see them yet
When I listen to athletes, I have a thought.
This person has strength.
This person has things they have built up.
But that strength is still in the language of their sport and has not yet been translated into the language of society.
For example, continuing a sport for a long time.
Accumulating effort even during periods when there were no results.
Recovering from an injury.
Fulfilling a role on a team.
These are all experiences that have value in work and life.
I myself have been made aware of this while involved in career support.
When people only know their own world, they underestimate their own possibilities.
But the moment they connect with the outside world, their expressions sometimes change as they realize, “I could have applied it this way.”
That is why I believe that before rushing to decide on a job,knowing what options are available to youis important.
7. What is truly necessary is not to rush to find the “correct profession,” but to increase the “options that suit you”
As retirement approaches, you feel anxious.
I have to decide quickly.
I have to make something happen.
I don't want to fall behind others.
It is very natural to feel that way.
But there are things more important than rushing to choose one answer, such as broadening your options first.
✅ Listen to stories from people working in worlds outside of sports.
✅ Try putting your achievements and experiences into words.
✅ Connect with support systems and consultation services.
Even just doing that will change the scenery you see.
“Not having decided yet” does not mean you are falling behind.
You are in the middle of preparation.
And increasing your options also leads to reducing anxiety.
8. The first step to reducing anxiety after retirement begins with knowing that “there is a future you can choose”
Retirement is not the moment when possibilities disappear.
It is just that if you remain unaware, your possibilities will look smaller than they are.
Athletes have things they have built up through their sport.
And the places where that experience can be applied may be much broader than you think.
That is precisely why, instead of ending without knowing,
please try to touch the outside world little by little from now on.
Please try consulting others instead of carrying it all alone.
Please try to find a path that suits you without comparing yourself to others.
What is needed first for an athlete's second career is not a perfect answer, but
knowing that there is a future you can choose.
I believe that is the beginning of hope.
