Growing old is inevitable. Though many people in professional athletics age slower because of their high amounts of physical activity, the day where their bodies can’t take it anymore is bound to come. Each and every year, there are new drafts bringing in tons of new, younger athletes that are just starting their careers.
For example, NBA player, LeBron James. At this point in his career, Lebron James has been in the NBA longer than he has not. When LeBron James entered the NBA, he was fresh out of high school. Nowadays, players are required to spend at least one year in college, or one year in the G League. With this, at LeBron’s age of 40 years old, he has been in the NBA for 22 years.
As the body gets older, muscle and bone structure starts to deteriorate. No matter if you are healthy or not, it still goes into effect. There are 82 games in a regular NBA season. In the 2022-23 season LeBron James only played in 56 games, the following season only 69, and this past season, 71. Some of these missed games were due to injury, but some were just a chosen “sit-out” game because of exhaustion or other unknown reasons. Many fans pay so much money to see their idols play and when they don’t show up for their fans, disappointment swallows their fans alive. So why waste other people’s money, time, and dedication, when you could just be done and have everyone support that decision?
LeBron James isn’t the only player in a professional sport that has been deemed by the public “too old to play.” Many other athletes in all sorts of sports, both women and men, are criticized by the public for their performance as an older professional athlete. Which, frankly, the public is correct. By continuing to play, you are putting yourself at a higher risk of injury. Along with this risk of injury, if you do get injured, you are going to experience a way slower recovery than if you were a younger athlete. An example of this would be one of the Washington Commander’s Running Backs, Austin Ekeler. Though he is only 30, in the football world 30 can be seen as a regular 50. Austin Ekeler just recently tore his meniscus when playing the Green Bay Packers. Many fans, and avid football watchers believe that with his biological structure at this point in time, this injury is career ending. By the time he is to recover, it is highly unlikely for him to continue his professional football career.
By continuing to play professional sports at an older age, not only are you affecting your body and mind, but you are affecting the game you play. Fans don’t enjoy seeing minimal effort from professional athletes. And though sometimes older athletes are giving it their all, fans also don’t like to see minimal ability either. It is understandable as to why these athletes continue to play: their sport is their life as well as career, but it isn’t fair to other players and viewers as the game-level is slowly becoming stagnant or poor at the professional level.
I strongly believe that when professional athletes reach a reasonable age to retire, they should consider coaching and/or training. By coaching the premature athletes, high school athletes, college athletes, or even professional athletes, you are able to share your abilities and help others become better. Many professional athletes are already wealthy or rich, so why not make the youth rich in your knowledge to help them reach the same level, or even beyond the level you were once at. By coaching, not only are you still around the game that you’ve grown to love so much, but you are given the opportunity to grow the game and other’s love for the sport as well.
Overall, professional athletes that are at an older age, or are receiving signs of inability, should seriously consider retiring. By retiring, you’re not showing a sign of weakness, you are showing a sign of strength, and leaving your legacy behind for people to honor for years to come. When you’ve reached your peak, when you’ve made millions, when you have inspired generation after generation, that is when you know that you’ve already made your mark; you don’t need to continue searching for it.
