抄録
In studying retired professional athletes in Japan, the conditions faced by football players have been comparatively worse than those for professional athletes in other sports. The average retirement age for a Japanese professional football player is about 26 years old. The J.League has not offered any special pension benefits and retirement plans since its inauguration. Therefore, a J.League player will have more difficulties upon retirement with no guaranteed income.
The purpose of this study was to determine the career process of former Japanese professional football players who were subject to both voluntary and involuntary retirement and to verify the usefulness of the Role Exit Model for these players. This research study is a followup survey of our previous empirical study (1999). The sample size for the former professional football players was 32. Who participated in the previous study (1999). The research method and procedure, as well as analytical methods were all the same as in the 1999 study. The research methods and procedures of this study were identical to the study of Drahota & Eitzen (1998).On the basis of a series of semi-structured interviews, the following conclusions were drawn;
(1) Most Japanese former football players from the early generation of the J.League, faced their turning point involuntarily, but were willing to take up the second career voluntarily. Many of them stayed in the football circle. The role residual of "Ex" identity appeared to last a long time for most of them. They have not completely lost their identity as a professional football player; in other words, they have not achieved "Role Exit" from the professional football player completely.
(2) The Role Exit Model of Drahota & Eitzen (1998) should be modified in the context of the Japanese former football players. Because they have not lost their "Ex" identity completely, this model should be named "Semi Role Exit Model".
