First Advisor

Erin Winterrowd

Thesis Committee Member(s)

Lara Narcisi and Amy Schreier

Reader

Kate Partridge

College

Regis College

Degree Name

BS

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Number of Pages

54 pages

Abstract

COVID-19 impacted the entire world. One specific population of individuals who suffered from implications of the novel coronavirus was athletes. As the virus spread around the globe and quarantine regulations were being established, athletes across various competition levels experienced cancellations of their sport seasons. This event led many athletes to lose their athletic identity; the degree to which one identifies with the athletic role. Individuals who develop a stronger, more exclusive athletic identity are likely to experience more difficulties when sport related transitions like injury or retirement occur. In the present study, I predicted that athletes who have a higher athletic identity would implement less adaptive cognitive emotional responses to the cancellation of the 2020 competition season due to COVID-19. This hypothesis was tested using the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire on Regis University student-athletes. I found a non-significant relationship between athletic identity and each cognitive emotional regulation strategy and that Regis University student-athletes employed adaptive responses more commonly than maladaptive responses. These results suggest that despite having a strong athletic identity, Regis University athletes utilized strong coping skills in response to the chaotic changes that COVID- 19 induced. The present study contributes to the broader field of identity and the implications that the coronavirus had on the lives of athletes.

Date of Award

Spring 2022

Location (Creation)

Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)

Rights Statement

All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.

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