Studies in sport psychology focus on “self-talk” as a motivational and instructional tool to enhance athletic performance. This article (re)conceptualizes self-talk as a dialogic phenomenon that is foundational to the construction of athletic identity. Through a detailed analysis of athletes’ oral and written narratives, the author demonstrates how Bakhtin’s internal polemic not only adds to the current understanding of athlete self-talk but also offers a productive lens for investigating how athletes display, perform, and construct identities. The analysis extends current conceptualizations of athlete self-talk, which provides a nuanced understanding of how athletes manage those internal voices that affect athletic performance.
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