I Broke Myself: Athlete Perceptions of Return to Play Decision Making

Injury in sport is a well-recognised and accepted part of sporting participation. While most research focuses on injury prevention, less attention is paid to the return to play decision making processes and the factors that shape those decisions. Using a grounded theory approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten retired professional rugby union players, exploring their injury experiences and return to play choices made. Analysis revealed that these athletes felt that when injured that they were under extreme pressure to return, with much of that pressure intrinsic and a manifestation of their passion, compulsion and ‘need’ to be playing. Pressure from the rugby habitus, the organisation and coaches, and teammates was largely implicit, influencing choices. Shared experiences offered little insight into considerations of the longer term consequences of injury and prematurely returning to play. This study highlights that sports, coaches and management are in positions of power responsible for the care of athletes who are highly driven to perform and who may be vulnerable to making ‘heroic’ decisions that may be harmful in the longer term.