A Study on Athletes' Perceptions and Improvement Strategies for Athlete Activism

The purpose of this study is to understand how college athletes perceive and to explore how to improve their perceptions of athlete activism. For this study, Focus Group Interviews(FGI) were conducted with five groups. Each group consisted of four athletes, selected from 5 sports disciplines. The findings of the study are as follows: First, in terms of college athletes’ perceptions of athlete activism they showed a limited understanding of athlete activism, primarily recognizing it through social media. However, they demonstrated a strong awareness of the need for it. Secondly, in terms of improving college athletes’ perceptions of athlete activism the study identifies three key areas: environmental changes, legal measures, and system development. Environmental changes is to foster the culture or atmosphere, which college athletes can freely raise their voices for solving their own problems or social issues. They emphasize protecting and supporting of their activism by legal or institutional measures. And they suggest the technology-based solutions for anonymous reporting and personal information protection through systematic improvements. Because of the limitation of a specific subject group, this study suggests the need for broader research across various sports fields and age groups. The findings imply that enabling athletes to speak freely in a safe environment could position them as agents of positive social change, contributing to the overall development of Korean sports beyond mere athletic performance.