Experiences and Expectations of Biographical Time among Young Athletes

Cassandra Phoenix (1) , Brett Smith (2) , Andrew C. Sparkes (2)

1 School of Sport & Health Sciences
2 School of Sport & Health Sciences

In this article, we explore how biographical time is storied by a particular group of young athletes in relation to their experiences and expectations of embodied ageing. The data suggests that at present, as able and sporting bodies, their everyday experiences are framed by the cyclical, maximizing, and disciplined notions of time associated with the social organization of sport. In their middle years, however, it was perceived that time would be pressured. In contrast, when talking about old age, empty time and static time were expected. The ways in which three different narratives of self operate to shape the projected experiences of time for these individuals are highlighted, and the implications of this process for their ability to access diverse narrative resources of ageing is discussed.

Mots clés: ageing; bodies; self; time; young athletes

Cassandra Phoenix, Brett Smith, Andrew C. Sparkes. Experiences and Expectations of Biographical Time among Young Athletes. Time & Society, 2007, 16 (2-3), pp.231-252. ⟨10.1177/0961463X07080269⟩. ⟨hal-00571031⟩