Sport migration in a Global World: A Case study of Lithuanian Swimmers migration to the United States

Abstract: In this master's thesis, I studied the migration of Lithuanian swimmers to the United States. This study covered the period from 1990 when Lithuania regained its independence from the Soviet Union to 2004 when it joined the European Union and opened up to the free labor market movement.  In the 20th century, sports activity grew into a global and multi-billion-dollar industry. Currently, research into the sports migration process is becoming increasingly important in the scientific discourse of sports science. However, it is still a relatively rare occurrence.  Various research and insights into this phenomenon can only be discovered in the context of professional sports such as football, basketball, hockey, rugby, and other popular sports. However, in the area of ​​non-revenue sports, migration is a relatively unexplored area. In this way, my master's study analyzing migration in swimming will be one of the first steps in further research. This master's study tried to fill the gap in the academic discourse by deepening and gaining data on the narrow field of Lithuanian swimmers. As swimming is not a commercially successful sport, the United States was the only destination to migrate for Lithuanian swimmers. Research by Bale (1991) showed that the one main reason for the migration of international student-athletes to American universities is academic sports scholarships, which provide free participation in sports and higher education. This study will help strengthen prior findings and unveil other factors and reasons affecting the migration of international students to U.S. universities. The findings of this study contributed to a deeper understanding of the situation and motivation of migrants athletes in non-revenue sports. The study results also provide insights and context for a better understanding of the reasons for migration from the small post-Soviet country. The research showed that most Lithuanian swimmers recognized better conditions to improve abroad than in Lithuania. The quality of most of their sports training conditions was poor or insufficient. The recruitment process and contacts played an essential role in establishing connections with university coaches; only after establishing relationships with coaches in America, Lithuanian swimmers opened their way to the United States.  The study utilized a qualitative case study methodology, including twelve semi-structured interviews. Eight interviews were done with swimmers who went to the United States to compete in sports and receive education, and four interviews were done with athletes who remained to develop their talents in Lithuania. All the interviews were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. This master's thesis applied world-systems theory (Wallerstein, 1974) as a framework for exploring and understanding the experiences and motivations of research participants from their experienced perspective.