Why College Athletes Play Through Pain During Competition

Jennifer J. Waldron, University of Northern Iowa
Nathan White, University of Northern Iowa

Abstract

Within the environment of sport, athletes must often overlook and ignore pain and injury to be successful. In light of this, the current study, using an open-ended question, explored reasons why collegiate athletes made the decision to play through pain during competition. Male (n = 67) and female (n = 60) collegiate athletes from a variety of sports completed a demographic questionnaire and an open-ended question asking the reason why they played through pain during competition. Of the 127 participants, 77 (61%) reported that they had played through pain during competition. Data analysis included two researchers individually coding participants' answers. Five major labels -for the self, nature of sport, for others, pain, and self-presentation - explained why athletes' were determined to play through pain during competition. Participants' responses suggest they have internalized the norms of the sport ethic and the culture of risk. © 2011 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.