| The purpose of this study was to measure the influence of certain variables on the occupational attainment of former professional football players. The past decade has witnessed an increase in the research on issues dealing with various aspects of professional sports in our society. Much of the research, however, has been anecdotal and focused on the active careers of professional athletes. Few investigations have focused on the transition from player to former player.;Data for this study was gathered primarily by means of a mailed questionnaire. The response rate to these questionnaires was 43%. The questionnaire provided information on the independent variables (Race, Socio-Economic Background, Educational Attainment, Position Played in the NFL, and Career Longevity in the NFL) and on the dependent variable of Occupational Attainment. Hollingshead's Two Factor Index of Social Position was used to determine the occupational attainment of the former players.;A recursive model was developed to analyze the causal relationships of the independent variables and their direct and indirect influences on the dependent variable. The main objective of the model was to provide a more complete explanation of the occupational attainment process of former professional football players. The overall model explains 29% of the variation in the occupational attainment of former professional football players.;Of all the independent variables which were analyzed, educational attainment (p, < 01) and race (p, < 01) were found to have the most significant influence on the occupational attainment of former professional football players. A negative relationship approaching significance at the .05 level, was found to exist between career longevity in the NFL and occupational attainment.;The potential athlete universe consisted of all professional football players (N = 409) who retired from the National Football League after the 1980 season. The athletes were from all twenty-eight NFL teams and included players from all regions of the country and all playing positions. All of the players had at least one year of experience in the NFL.;It was concluded, within the limits of this study, that participation in professional football did not offset the more traditional social influences concerning occupational attainment. The findings suggest that professional football players need to develop transferable skills which will be regarded favorably by future employers. |
