Retirement is a subject that is brought up with a heavy heart. It means that age is getting higher and bone mass is getting lower. It means more sleep and less play. It means that the strong lion that they once were is now a frail flea struggling to keep hold on a dogs neck. No athlete would like to admit that their time to end what they once worked dusk until dawn for is coming up. As time ticks away, their training sessions and countless times they have pushed their bodies to the ultimate test quickly catches up to them. Running down the field soon seems like miles and landing from jumping for rebounds makes their knees feel as if they are about to give out and shatter into millions of pieces. Their breaths seem to be more on demand than …show more content…
Athletes thirst for a win to a point and where they will say and do things that defeat the purpose of sportsmanship. Continuously acting in this manner can easily give an athlete a very bad reputation, on and off their playing fields. Dick Butkus is a linebacker who because of his bad reputation is now depicted as being “…a caged animal” (Rick Telander) “…with some type of aggressive streak” (Rick Telander). Although this hyperbole exaggerates Butkus’ physical appearance, it proves the impact that his poor decisions had on his superstar image. A few things he is known for is “…[talking] all kinds of garbage” (Rick Telander), “…provoking three separate fights in one game,…[picking] up four personal fouls in an exhibition game,… [and] in one heated skirmish bit…a referee” (Rick Telander). He sees it as “…a way to vent [his] anger” (Rick Telander) but the way the crowd sees it, it is a whole new misconception. Contradictory to what he is known to be, “off the field [Dick Butkus is] quiet, laid-back, calm, [and] relaxed” (Rick Telander). But because his play on the field now haunts him, no one will believe that a submissive side is even possible in him. In the story Gifts That God Didn’t Bring, Larry Bird realized “…[that] there’s nothing [he] can do about it once [he has] done it”. He understands that there are consequences to his actions, ones that he knows he will not be able to change. He …show more content…
By gravitating away from their natural habitat of training and hard work, their lives begin to feel dull and slothful. Athletes train their whole lives in order to reach success and soon after retirement, all their hard work only seems to be a distant memory. Larry Bird, a former Boston Celtic and World Champion, started his day in the gym at 7 o’clock in the morning and ended it in the gym at midnight. He spent all this time in the gym because “he believes everyone should work [hard]” (John Papanek), regardless of the player’s skill level. “That’s how [Larry] got to be such a good player” (John Papanek). He worked hard so that he could be better than he was the day before. Considering all the time Larry had spent training, the love and the bond he had made with the sport shows why “… he [would not] want it to end” (John Ed Bradley). Alongside being out of routine, retirement also brings a lack of motivation which escalades to laziness very quickly. In the article Broken Promises, Borris Becker talks about how his body ends up “…[looking] drawn, thinner than [it] used to be” (S.L. Price) and his self-confidence that came with the fit body now “…comes and goes” (S.L. Price). The time away from the sport and the way their body responds to it makes the athlete believe that “…[they have] really got nothing [left]” (S.L. Price). They had lost one of their loves and occasionally
The author of “Sports’ Bully Culture” John Amaechi, throughout his essay focuses on the bully that very few consider, the coach. He presents an example that most, parents in particular, have heard about; Mike Rice, the former coach at Rutgers University’s. Amaechi recognizes that he can agree with the end result but he also recognizes the need for a different approach and continues to share his view. Amaechi then shares his own personal experience with this kind of bully when he was in university. Even though what he says appeals to many, some coaches, disagree with Amaechi view. He continues to show that these coaches are not just a select few, and the result of these coaches is severe. The essays purpose is to change the audience’s perspective
Smith, R. E. (1986). Toward a cognitive affective model of athletic burnout. Journal of Sport Psychology, 8, 36-50.
Throughout the year a baseball player gives numerous amount of hours to baseball. Weekdays through weekends, a baseball player is constantly playing. During the year a player has a regular season in which games go on and an off season in which training happens. During the regular season, a professional baseball player plays three games every four days. On the extra day they have a practice. With this being said, there is no free time left within the regular playing season. During the off season a professional baseball player has more time than the regular season but still not as much as someone who does not play baseball. Every morning of an off season a player has to go work out to maintain strength. Many of the workouts can take up to three hours. This means a baseball player has three hours less throughout the day. A non baseball player has enough free time to do fun stuff like go out to the movies. A baseball player does not even have enough time to go home, relax, and watch tv. These sacrifices would be very difficult for some people to wrap their head around. They require constant, major dedication to the sport in which all professional players
Dr. Pietro Tonino stated that “College athletes are putting themselves at risk for health problems that could persist long after they graduate.” (sciencedaily.com). The college athletes today risk their health when they step onto the court or field for their college, and get little in return. According to sciencedaly.com, there was a study published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine. Researches at Indiana University organized an analysis of two groups of people. One crowd was made up of middle-aged college graduates who played division one sports. The supplemented group comprised of middle-aged college graduates who did not participate in sports. The study showed they were in much poorer physical condition, and agonized from a number of things including depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. The non-athletes portrayed much less signs of wear and tear.
In the book entitled Out of Their League, David Meggyesy describes his life as a football player from high school through his days with the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Born in 1941, Meggyesy was raised in a low-income household in Solon, Ohio. Like many athletes from impoverished backgrounds, he was able to use the game of football to better himself though both a full scholarship to Syracuse University and financial stability with the Cardinals. During his career, however, Meggyesy became increasingly disillusioned with the game of football and how its athletes were subject to tremendous physical and psychological turmoil from those in power—namely the coaches and the NFL team owners. He began to see the game of football from a conflict theorist point of view. This is the belief that sport is an opiate used to benefit those in power through the exploitation of athletes which enables those such as coaches and team owners to maintain their power and privilege in society. (Coakley, 1998) Meggyesy's growing disenchantment with football and adoption of a conflict theorist point of view led him to retire from the Cardinals in 1969.
Imagine you are the world’s number one golfer, in the prime of your career at age 28, when you all the sudden decide to retire.
It is not that rare to see a coach in any sport with high expectation for their players. In all sports, there are many coaches are motivated topush their players to their limits to win a championship. Sometimes though, a coach’s fervent passion for success may cause them to lose sight of proper ethical behavior towards their players and the players’ parents. Recently, Mike Rice, former basketball coach for Rutgers University, was fired for abusive behavior towards his players. While accounts state that he was just trying to “bring the best out of his players”, the reports assert that Rice constantly tormented his players by throwing basketballs at their heads, using vulgar language, and insulting them. Although a coach’s main role is to help
Athletes are often viewed specially because of their intense determination. They often beat themselves up in order to overcome what they think they can do. Breaking this threshold nearly always requires the overcoming of adversity. In sports psychology, when an athlete “not only makes it through [his] adversity, but acquires additional protective factors in the process”, he has undergone what is known as “resilient reintegration” (Galli, Nick, and Robin S. Vealey 318). This is especially the case when “an athlete returns with a greater appreciation of sport or a stronger work ethic than before” (319). According to exercise and sport scientist Galli’s study, athletes who overcame adversity were ninety percent more capable to cope with future adversities and perform “well in both sport and in life” (320). It is no surprise that people who have overcome adversities in their past are better suited to overcome them again. What is a surprise is how far this truly goes. In fact, this study shows that athletes who have returned from an
A change from a self-determined engagement in a sport to a much lesser degree of self-determination is a common theme among athletes’ burning out. In other words, as the true passion and love for the game fades away, the perceived costs of sustained engagement begin to outweigh the rewards afforded by the sport. After time passes, the inability to handle the negative appraisals can lead to such harmful outcomes as physical and emotional exhaustion, reduced accomplishment, devaluation, and then complete dropout of the sport (Holmberg and Sheridan,
Many people's dreams include being a large sports star and constantly being within the spotlight. Whether it is to get the winning touchdown or break the new record, most people dream of these special moments where the crowd goes wild with cheers. Most people picture themselves getting the overall credibility for their achievements. What happens, though, when it all comes crashing down you lose your abilities or you lose your place within the madness. A.E. Housman was raised under harsh discipline, but when it came to the gentle regret of someone losing their fame he was able to address the issue. A.E Housman wrote a poem entitled To an Athlete Dying Young, within this poem he addressed three key messages it is better to die young while you are famous rather than to die old, glory fades with age, and it is better to die before you can witness your records being beaten by someone else.
Sports specialization among young people is when a child or teenager trains for and competes in only one sport. They work extremely hard year-round in order to become well-rounded in every aspect of the game. They make sacrifices and put their health in jeopardy in order to become the ultimate participant in their sport. One of the many young athletes who is only participating in and focusing on one sport is fifteen-year-old OJ Mayo from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is the young talented athlete who is predicted to be the next LeBron James in the National Basketball Association (NBA). This young athlete provides evidence of striving for perfection in this single sport when reviewing his daily schedule versus that of his siblings. He says, “The other kids go home and sleep. I come back to the gym” (Thompson, 2004). He is obviously putting forth a lot of effort in his sport to become successful at an early age.
To begin, one rationale for athletes being more likely to experience depression is most retired sports competitors struggle to fill the void of playing their game. According to Elena Schneider and Cara Cooper, “Sports psychologists say that even though many student-athletes
Athletic staleness and burnout is a big problem for many of today’s athletes whether they are at the amateur or professional level. The good thing about this problem that ends up in total and complete physical and emotional exhaustion is that it can be recognized when it is taking place. It can also be treated if the recognition comes at too late of a stage of the onset of staleness and burnout. But the best remedy for athletic staleness and burnout is prevention of it in the first place. There are three different models that have been used to explain the causes of athlete burnout.
A common scientific saying is “An object in motion tends to stay in motion, while an object at rest tends to stay at rest.” A high school graduate, who was previously the star tennis player, makes a resolution to jog a mere quarter of a mile, two days each week. However, six months ago, his fitness obsessed tennis coach required each participant run a grueling five kilometer trek around the school grounds every day. The graduate is aware of his abilities to move above and beyond a light warm-up for a sport more like that of golfing. He is becoming lazy. Obtainable goals are being set but these goals are only setting himself up for failure in the future. If one does not set goals, or raise the bar on them, they are sure to fail.
Jeff Kemp, a retired professional NFL quarterback, once stated, “Sports teach positive lessons that enrich America even while revealing its flaws” (Kemp). Athletics offer so much more than the joy of game day and the thrill of a win. Being involved in sports holds the key to a world filled with passion, excitement, and once in a lifetime opportunities. There is nothing better than seeing the student section arrive in full force or hearing the school fight song chanted before kickoff. However, when life moves on and leaves sports behind, the lessons it has instilled in athletes never disappears. The play calls may be foggy and the jersey will be too tight, but what was innocently learned in the jersey shines out at an older age. Although life lessons can be learned through everyday activities, lessons such as teamwork, self-confidence, and dealing with failure are only truly learned through sports by young athletes.