엘리트 축구선수의 경력 과정에서 나타나는 연령주의 경험 탐색

초록

The purpose of this study was to explore how ageism is experienced at the institutional, interpersonal, and self-oriented levels throughout the careers of elite soccer players and how these experiences are linked to players’ responses and career adjustments. To this end, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with seven former soccer players who had experienced their careers within institutionalized soccer training and selection systems, and the data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis method. The results revealed that the experiences of ageism among elite soccer players fell into four categories. First, institutional ageism manifested as the differential allocation of playing opportunities and career prospects based on grade level and age. Second, interpersonal ageism manifested in ways that restricted the roles, scope of behavior, and relational positions of lower-grade players within senior-junior and coach-player relationships. Third, self-oriented ageism was identified in the process by which external age criteria were internalized as a sense of being “too late,” thereby influencing self-assessment and career decisions. Fourth, participants were adjusting their careers through strategies such as compliance and endurance, individual training, switching teams, challenging independent clubs, and career transitions. This study demonstrates that age and grade criteria can function as an ageist order that influences elite soccer players’ game opportunities, relational positions, self-assessment, and career adjustments.

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