There are several things I’ll never understand about the
sports world: curling (really, what is it?), why football is called
football (in the United States at least), and why athletes rarely
leave their respective sports in their prime.
There’s nothing worse than watching one of your favorite
sports heroes slowly waste away into oblivion. With each declining
stat and lost game, it becomes harder to watch as age wins the war
and takes its toll.
We’ve recently seen an example of this with boxer Evander
Holyfield. Just days shy of his 41st birthday, Holyfield insists
he’s not retiring, despite winning only two of his last seven
fights. Though he was knocked out last weekend by James Tony (who?)
in the 9th round, Holyfield, like most aging athletes, just
won’t call it quits.
Sure, it probably has something to do with the money ““
Holyfield earned a cool $5 million for this past weekend’s
fight ““ but shouldn’t self-respect and pride mean
more?
We see it again with the plight of the National Football
League’s Emmitt Smith. In Jordan-esque fashion, Smith ““
one of the greatest rushers in the history of the game ““ went
over to the struggling Arizona Cardinals, signing a two-year
contract after being dropped from the Dallas Cowboys.
Sunday, Smith fractured his left shoulder blade and will be out
for several weeks. At this point, the guy is lucky he didn’t
break a hip. But then again, maybe the injury will help force him
to face the facts.
For Smith, this season has been by far the worst of his career
““ rushing for just 192 yards on 65 carries. The end is here:
Everyone else gets it, why can’t he?
Even worse are the former greats like Smith and Michael Jordan
continuing their careers by grasping onto sub-par teams. They claim
they will not only help the team but also “educate” the
youngsters, but in reality, they will only put a pockmark on their
legacies.
Oh, if only Holyfield and Smith would learn from Jordan’s
mistake.
Jordan left Washington in disgrace. The Wizards were still
terrible, Kwame Brown became a waste, and #23 was dismissed from
even the front office. Honestly, can it get worse for a man
considered to be the greatest player in the history of the
game?
As a fan who sees the potential for disaster, all you can do is
scream, “No don’t do it. Save yourself from the
shame!” But it’s futile, because they do it anyway. And
all you can do is sit idly by as you watch the layers slowly peel
from those you once considered divine.
So what is it that keeps these athletes playing? Money and
celebrity for some, or maybe it’s the inability to accept the
fact that they just don’t have it anymore. But it certainly
appears that many of these geriatrics simply don’t know what
else to do. For the majority of superstar players, athletics is all
they’ve ever known.
You can’t help but to empathize with these guys.
After decades of recognition for their athletic achievements,
they are forced to retire and begin again.
If they’re lucky and have more than their athleticism to
fall back on, maybe staying within their respective sports by
taking jobs as commentators, coaches or administrators is an
option. Or maybe it’s leaving sports all together.
For example, NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott opened up a Toyota
dealership in Tracy, California.
See what I mean?
Bach is desperately trying to think of a great Halloween
costume. If you have any ideas, e-mail her at
jbach@media.ucla.edu.