Being a Migrant Athlete in Turkey: What Motivates Them and What Their Problems

Abstract

With globalization and the commercialization of sport, there has been an increase in the mobility of migrant athletes worldwide. In parallel to this, there is also an increase in the number of migrant athletes in Turkey. In this respect, this research aims to investigate the motivations and problems experienced by the increasing number of migrant athletes in Turkey. The study group of the research, which was planned in a phenomenological design, consisted of a total of twenty (20) migrant athletes: nine (9) from the football branch, six (6) from the basketball branch, and five (5) from the volleyball branch. Personal information forms and semi-structured interview forms were used as data collection tools. In the research, face-to-face and one-to-one interviews were conducted with migrant athletes. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method. According to the research findings, three typologies affecting the motivation of migrant athletes to be in Turkey emerged. These typologies are ambitionist, mercenary, and settler. It was determined that living in a new society and culture in the context of intra-sport problems and integration in intra-sport problems. As a result, the motivations of immigrant athletes to be in Turkey are mostly ambitionist and mercenary, and they face more problems in their lives outside of sports.