Grades for goals? Challenging associations between educational engagement and improved football performance among Danish male elite players

Abstract

This study investigates the phenomenon of dual career in Danish male football, with a specific focus on the notion that educational engagement promotes football performance. The study does not support this notion: Few or no sport-related benefits are found in the players’ perceptions of their educational engagement, making them prone to believe that dual career paths make success in either arena harder to achieve. Based on these findings, we argue that the emphasis on education is a legitimacy-creating process and branding strategy for clubs to attract the best players and, more importantly, the support of the players’ parents. Two ideologies to approach dual career are outlined: One for optimizing football performance with an emphasis on players’ efficiency and total dedication, and one for displaying football performance to society and surrounding norms. When football clubs adhere to these two ideologies, inconsistencies will appear, also referred to as a necessary hypocrisy.