"I Can't Imagine Not Being an Athlete": A Retrospective Qualitative Analysis of the Factors that Influence Sport Passion Development in Collegiate Athletes

Athletes’ motivation, well-being, and outcomes in sport are heavily influenced by passion, which can be conceptualized as either harmonious (HP) or obsessive (OP) (Vallerand et al., 2003). Although the effects of HP and OP have been repeatedly observed, factors that cause these passion types to surface have scarcely been studied (Mageau et al., 2009). The purpose of this study was to identify the major factors impacting HP and OP in collegiate athletes and note the differences in these pathways. Data collection occurred in two distinct phases: Phase I surveyed participants’ sport passion levels, and Phase II selected athletes whose scores met certain criteria for follow-up interviews. During these interviews, the researcher explored each participant's sport journey from youth to college. Overarching categories identified from the athletes’ rendition of their sport experiences were passion identifiers (enjoyment, time and energy investment, value), athletic identity (“I am an athlete” vs. “I am not only an athlete”), fulfillment/frustration of autonomy (autonomy support vs autonomy thwarting), perception of feedback (support independent of performance outcomes vs. pressure to perform well), and motivation (extrinsic vs. intrinsic). The main differences between groups were seen in enjoyment, extrinsic motivation, exclusive athletic identity, pressure to perform well, and autonomy thwarting. Implications from the study include that parents and coaches can foster the development of HP by providing ample autonomy support, encouraging intrinsic motivation and a well-rounded identity, offering more support than pressure, and explicitly communicating that support is not attached to contingencies.