The Role of Mass Media in Promoting the Dual Career of the Performance Athlete

Background: One of the most pressing problems for athletes is related to the end of their career, a situation that presents serious challenges in the attempt to enter the labor market in the absence of an adequate education. Despite the fact that successful sports students encounter some problems in terms of time allocated to school, consistent work will ultimately provide them with a rewarding career and, most importantly, a relevant social role to inspire other athletes who are at the beginning of their careers. A successful approach to dual career cannot take place if athletes and their entourage (coaches, parents, teachers) are not aware of its importance. By analyzing the concept from different angles by professionals (EU, governments, ministries), dual career can be implemented in an efficient way and much faster if the appropriate institutions are involved. The use of mass media to create interest and content in the sports field has managed to produce major interest among specialists in the field. Methods: In this study, the answers of 30 mass media specialists were analyzed to understand how “dual career” is promoted for the performance athlete in the mass media in Romania. In order to analyze if there is any connection between mass media, dual career and the profile of the performance athlete, we applied a chi-square test and Pearson and Spearman correlations. Results: The obtained results indicate a weak connection between the analyzed terms. Conclusions: The conclusions reached allow us to form an overview of the analyzed terms, managing to create directions for action in order to constantly improve the phenomenon in Romania.