ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. The History, Culture and Sociology of Sports
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1558398
This article is part of the Research TopicMultidimensional development of student-athletes: new perspectives on dual-careerView all 12 articles
Negative Manifestations of Internalized Extreme Filial Piety Culture among Korean High School Student Athletes: Dropping Out, 'Athlete Melt', Tie-In Sale, and 'Running Away'
Provisionally accepted
- 1Nippon Sport Science University, Tokyo, Japan
- 2The Department of Sport Science, The College of Arts and Physical Education, Incheon National University, Arts & Physical Education College, Incheon, Republic of Korea
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This study investigates the adverse impact of extreme filial piety culture on the career trajectories of elite Korean amateur athletes following professional league contract failures. Using narrative interviews and participant observation, we explored the experiences of high school student-athletes who were unable to transition to professional sports, secure university admission as athletes, or chose to abandon their athletic careers. Our analysis revealed four key phenomena: some student-athletes drop out of high school or forgo university to pursue other careers; illicit "tie-in sales" allow parents to leverage sports performance for admission to prestigious universities; several student-athletes run away from home due to abusive or unsupportive environments and feelings of entrapment; and internalized extreme filial piety generates overwhelming guilt as athletes feel compelled to repay parental sacrifices through their success. These findings highlight the need for policy interventions and support systems that broaden career options, curb excessive parental and coaching pressures, and foster greater autonomy in student-athletes' decision-making.
Keywords: Korea, Student Athlete, filial piety culture, Dropping out, tie-in sale, Running away, Career Dilemmas, Athlete transition
Received: 10 Jan 2025; Accepted: 03 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yoon and Lim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: SeaMi Lim, The Department of Sport Science, The College of Arts and Physical Education, Incheon National University, Arts & Physical Education College, Incheon, Republic of Korea
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