Japanese Top-Athletes' Attitudes toward Their Sports Careers

Abstract

The author presents an analysis of the attitudes of the Japanese top-athletes (pros and amateurs) toward their sports careers.

Japanese athletes were likely to rate high on the beat orientation (to beat your opponents) in their childhood, but when they had become pros or top amateur athletes, they stressed the best orientation as their primary orientation. There were tendencies that their primary orientation was changed from the beat to the best in their maturity.

Japanese athletes were more competitive than Canadian athletes in their attitudinal orientation. The professional athletes were likely to rate higher on the beat than amateurs at both life stages.

More than eighty per cent of the athletes were satisfied with their sports careers. Comparing the satisfaction quotient of both amateurs and pros toward their careers, pros were likely to rank high in classification. Since they can make big money and have a high reputation in the society, they seem to be satisfied with their sports careers as occupation.

However, the percentage of the pros who have worries about their future life exceeded that of amateurs. More than sixty-five per cent of the total sample were worried about a break in their careers due to injuries, and about their second careers after retirement.

Though approximately sixty per cent of the respondents enjoyed their sports careers, the percentage of pros was lower than that of amateurs. In professional sports, athletes are likely to be restricted in freedom or autonomy in their sport activities and sports careers. And this might be one reason of lower enjoyment of the professional athletes.