Rethinking elite sport as high-stakes work: an organizational perspective on well-being and sustainable performance

Elite sport is characterized by chronic performance pressure, uncertainty, continual evaluation, and significant physical, psychological, relational, and occupational consequences. Although sport psychology has increasingly recognized the importance of organizational environments, athlete performance and well-being continue to be understood primarily through an individual lens. This perspective conceptualizes elite sport as a form of high-stakes work, shifting responsibility for sustainable performance and well-being beyond the individual athlete to the organizations that shape high-performance environments. We outline the defining characteristics of high-stakes work, identify the contextual conditions that distinguish elite sport, and examine how organizational infrastructure developed in comparable high-stakes domains may inform elite sport. We argue that communication systems, psychological safety, workload management, leadership, and organizational accountability should be understood as organizational conditions that support both athlete well-being and sustained performance. Conceptualizing elite sport as high-stakes work provides a systems-oriented framework for advancing research, practice, and organizational responsibility in elite sport.