Opening the black box: Strategies to reconcile triathletes’ family life and sports practice

Abstract

Triathlon is a sport that has become popular in recent years. To practice it, people have to invest money and time, which affects their personal and family lives, creating tensions and conflicts with relatives. Under a qualitative methodology, this study investigates the practices created by male and female athletes to reconcile family life and sports practice. The results show that triathletes undergo three processes: imbalance, adjustment and maintenance. The article closes by expressing that these processes may contribute to coaches, sports psychologists, and managers as much as the knowledge generated allows containing, facilitating and promoting positive processes among athletes and their families.