Open Mic: Retirement Brett Favre to Gretzky to Barry Sanders to Michael Jordan

           With all the controversy surrounding Brett Favre’s wanting to play after just over 4 months of retirement from the NFL it begs some important questions. When should a player hang it up? Should players retire only to comeback again later? What makes some players want to stick around until the wheels fall off, while others would prefer to retire before they’ re out of their prime?

            So when should a player call it a career in their respective sports? Many people have criticized Brett Favre for not retiring earlier especially when the Packers were in slumps from 2004-2007. Then again Favre hung in there and put in an incredible season numbers wise and getting the Pack to an NFC final. After his great season Favre finally decided to retire from the sport he loved so much and most fans and media weren’t surprised.

The question in the backs of everyone’s head was with the way Favre played last season could he have repeated again this year? Let’s face it the Packers have an excellent defence anchored by players like press cover corners Al Harris and Charles Woodson and top ranked defensive end Aaron Kampan. On the offensive side is a great offensive line with top veteran receivers Donald Driver and up and coming talent Greg Jennings. If Brett Favre could continue from where he left off in 2008, the Packers would definitely have a good chance at getting to the Super Bowl this season.

On the flip side, the Greenbay management and coaching staff thought Favre was done and they prepared for a new era starting off with 2005 first round pick Aaron Rodgers. Now with Favre announcing he would like to comeback puts the Packers in a bit of a situation. Favre is loved by all Packer fans and he had a great season last year, but the management and Packers organization are moving on which is understandable. However, the bottom line is if Favre feels healthy and feels he can play the Packers have to respect that. So they should have been ready to decide either we stick to Favre or find a way to move him so he can fulfill his career. I can understand Favre’s frustration because all he wants is to play somewhere and it seems like the Pack doesn’t think he can lead the team anymore, yet they are worried about him ending up on a division rival. It’s one or the other either you think Favre can play or you think he is washed up the Packers organization can’t sit there talking out both sides of their mouth saying he can't lead us and on the other hand saying he could be dangerous on NFC rivals.

That being said before taking a decision to retire especially when team mates, fans and management are relying on this decision should not be taken lightly. Professional athletes should really take the necessary amount of time to make a decision that is final and sits right with them and their respective organization. Once the decision is made people and organizations move on. But, these are tough situations look at what happened when the Chicago Bulls let MJ comeback, the organization won three straight championships. Which makes one wonder when should a player really retire?

If every professional athlete retired while at their peak or near the end of their peak, stories like those of Michael Jordan and Bret Favre wouldn’t exist. In fact it would probably frustrate more fans and organizations then anything else, take Barry Sanders for example one of the NFL’s great running backs he retired at the age of 31 well before the end of his prime. There is a fine line between retiring gracefully, retiring too early and retiring once the wheels have fallen off. Retirement is something that a professional athlete needs to mull over and discuss with other players, friends and family in order to make an informed decision. That being said fans have to give players credit for sticking around past their prime and trying to contribute until their aging body doesn’t allow them.

Some fans and media feel a player should pack it in once they begin to reach the end of their peak and start going down hill. Most athletes treat their careers in professional sports as their passion before their job. So it’s understandable that they don’t feel ready to retire even though their body maybe starting to say otherwise. Many professional players past their prime may not contribute like they did at the peak of their careers, but an intelligent coaching staff will find a way to use a top tier players eroding talents to benefit the team for a few years to come whether it be limiting ice time or placing them in back up rolls where the veteran can play a bit less but help out the rookies. The key is the player has to be able to accept that they are not the player they were a few years earlier and that theirs role will change.

Retirement from a career somebody loves is always a difficult thing for anyone. Some players can find ways to extend their careers while others maybe have to call it a day. However, as long as a given player can provide positive production to their team they should continue to play. Once a players choice to stick around has negative impacts on the teams performance and chemistry then the player maybe should step back and assess their decision to keep on playing.