A Case Study on Stressors of Softball Players: Focusing on the COVID-19 Period

This study aims to explore the stressors experienced by elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was conducted using phenomenological research method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, and conducted in-depth interviews with five softball players who have been elite players for more than 10 years and have experience with the national team, and interpreted the oral data of their personal experiences, and identified their meaning and structure to identify the essence of the phenomenon as it is. Physical stress is caused by 3 factors (Corona symptoms and sequelae, poor physical condition and physical imbalance, poor performance), and psychological stress is caused by 9 factors (anxiety about COVID-19 infection, burden of negative impact on those around you by being infected with COVID-19, anxiety about an uncertain future, boredom of training without competitions, pressure of a match to be held after a long time, negative perception of COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 diagnosis at a critical time, feeling of alienation after COVID-19 infection, Peripheral vision due to chronic cough) and environmental stress were categorized into six factors (masks, restrictions on the training environment, postponement and cancellation of competitions, restrictions on privacy, COVID testing, and team meals). The stress experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly different from the stress felt before the pandemic, and it is believed that the stressors of the athletes have changed due to COVID-19.