Negative manifestations of internalized extreme filial piety culture among Korean high school student athletes: dropping out, "Athlete Melt", tie-in sale, and "Running Away".

Authors

SangJin Yoon, SeaMi Lim

Published in

Frontiers in sports and active living. Volume 7. Pages 1558398. Epub Aug 04, 2025.

Abstract

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.

PMID:
40832555
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Aug 2025.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.