Exploring Sport Migration through International Student Athlete Recruitment: The Sojourn of Male Soccer Players from Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

In the realm of sport, international student athlete (ISA) recruitment to US colleges and universities may be viewed as the most prevalent form of sport migration today. This is supported by the fact that ISA enrollment figures have doubled within the last decade. From the expectations placed on them from coaches and teammates, ISAs are exposed to a great number of stressors that often put them at a disadvantage.However, despite these stressors ISA recruitment numbers are still increasing.Framed by the concept of life satisfaction where an individual assesses the meaningfulness of his/her life as a whole , the purpose of this study was to explore sportmigration through ISA recruitment while revisiting some of the stressors that accompany such a journey.Through the use of semi-structured interviews, eight participants were interviewed on two separate occasions and the data analyzed using a phenomenological approach. Perpetuating the desire to migrate to the US was the need for personal development and aspirations of playing professional soccer abroad.