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Life after Rugby: Issues of Being an ‘Ex’ in Fiji Rugby.

Kanemasu, Yoko and Molnar, Gyozo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1732-5672 (2014) Life after Rugby: Issues of Being an ‘Ex’ in Fiji Rugby. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 31 (11). pp. 1389-1405. ISSN Print: 0952-3367 Online: 1743-9035

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Abstract

Rugby has given Fiji international recognition and reputation. Not only is rugby a source of national pride but it has also become a valuable export, with an estimated 500 Fijian players currently in foreign leagues in, for instance, New Zealand, Australia, France, England and Japan. The economic and socio-cultural gains from rugby migration are often considerable, and consequently, many players in Fiji aspire to secure foreign club contracts as their personal and professional goal. However, little is known about the realities and challenges of the players’ life after their active playing career, the burden of which falls largely upon informal, community/family-based support networks. Such informal structures are increasingly under strain especially in urban areas and, faced with a lack of formal structural support mechanisms, many retired athletes experience a number of socio-economic and emotional problems. Some negotiate their post-rugby life successfully while many struggle with becoming and being an ‘ex’. Based on semi-structured interviews, the present paper explores these athletes’ experiences of “life after rugby” and illuminates the local as well as international neoliberal power dynamics that intersects Fiji rugby.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information:

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in the International Journal of History of Sport on 13th June 2014, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09523367.2014.924927

Staff and students at the University of Worcester can access the full-text of the online published article via the online Library Search. External users should check availability with their local library or Interlibrary Requests Service.

Uncontrolled Discrete Keywords: rugby, Fiji, post-athletic career, neoliberalism, informal social protection
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions: College of Business, Psychology and Sport > School of Sport and Exercise Science
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Gyozo Molnar
Date Deposited: 19 Jun 2014 08:01
Last Modified: 17 Jun 2020 17:03
URI: https://eprints.worc.ac.uk/id/eprint/3119

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