Athlete's path to excellence: the role of mother's sacrifice

Abstract

The purpose of this study has been to determine the negative impact on mothers while providing support for their child to become a top athlete. The negative impact associated with this support from mothers is called "emotional investment". We applied a qualitative, inductive and interpretative methodology following the procedures and techniques of groundedtheory. The research involved interviews with 17 mothers and their 20 top athletes sons and daughters.At the end of it, we formulated a theory which we call Mothers' Negative Emotional Investment in their Children's Sporting Excellence. Our theory relies on three main themes: 1. Pain, fear, and anxiety of the mother, 2. Negative impact on the family, 3. Sacrifice, renunciations, and effort on the part of the mother. i. These three themes are not only interrelated and hierarchically arranged, but also show a dynamic evolution along with the child's athletic and personal development.