Smartphones and Varsity Athletes: A Complicated Relationship

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Psychology
• Media Studies

Background:

• Smartphone prevalence is high in the demographic of varsity athletes.
• Limited research exists on the impact of smartphones on varsity athletes' lives.
• Athletes juggle multiple roles (sport, academics, social) often mediated by technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore varsity athletes' lived experiences with smartphones.
• To identify the perceived benefits and drawbacks of smartphone use in this population.
• To address the gap in understanding technology's role in athletes' lives.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative exploratory study.
• Utilized five focus groups with 21 varsity athletes across nine sports.
• Employed inductive thematic analysis of collected data.

Main Results:

• Smartphones are integral to athletes' daily management of sport, school, and personal life.
• Identified concurrent positive themes (self-regulation, social connection) and negative themes (stress, distraction, disengagement).
• Athlete-smartphone relationship is multifaceted, with implications existing on a continuum.

Conclusions:

• Smartphone use among varsity athletes presents both advantages and disadvantages.
• Findings suggest practical guidelines are needed to optimize smartphone integration in athletic contexts.
• Further research should consider the nuanced, non-binary impact of technology on athletes.