ABSTRACT
An athlete can have a strong athletic identity, which can have little to do with their internal experience of self. Identification as an athlete poses challenges in therapeutic settings for a multiplicity of reasons. Athletic identity can pose a significant distraction for providers as well as group therapy members, based upon the cultural idealization of the athlete as a heroic symbol of struggle. Athletic identity is a dominant identity and the level of identity foreclosure increases with the level of sports participation, which is high with elite athletes. Athletic performances can be heroic, but must be separated from the individual who has mortal thoughts, feelings, uncertainties, inadequacies, and fears like anyone else. The intersection of race, sexuality, gender, and sport contributes to the idea that Black American male athletes are necessarily heterosexual, and that gay athletes are exclusively White. Male athletes experience considerable stereotyping related to the “dumb jock” image.
