Everyone cannot be a superstar! A critical exploration of korean high school soccer players’ preparation for college based on rené Girard’s theory

This study explores the desire of Korean high school soccer players to be student-athletes, the conflicts they experience, and the college admissions system that exacerbates these issues, using René Girard’s theory. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 total participants (high school soccer players, parents, coaches), and the results are summarized as follows: 1) the ‘mimetic desire’ for a close rival creates increased conflict among teammates; 2) if an athlete does not meet the ‘realistic requirements’ for college admission, they become a ‘scapegoat’. The fundamental causes of these issues are a lack of equitable opportunities for all athletes and a college admission evaluation system that emphasizes only competitive performance for student-athletes. The study concludes by discussing the necessity of change in this system.