When Should an Athlete Retire?

It's back. I got the itch to write for Bleacher Report again. This time, I'm going to give my opinion on the topic of when an athlete should retire.

This is an easy answer for me.

Whenever an athlete wants to retire, they should retire. If Brett Favre suddenly felt out of place that he wasn't getting ready for training camp and wants to play again, he should. It's not up to anyone but the athlete and his/her family when they should retire.

If you are still good enough to play, enjoy playing, and ultimately want to play, then what's stopping you? You know if you feel up to the grind training and competing at the highest level better than anyone. 

I'll look at Brett Favre's situation first.

When he decided he was going to retire, I wasn't shocked at the decision. He had a Pro Bowl season in Green Bay and ended the season in dramatic fashion. The Packers wanted an answer so they would know if they should build towards the future or rely on old No. 4. 

He was physically and emotionally drained after the season, and he probably thought he'd done everything he can do.

After the NFL Draft saw Green Bay select two quarterbacks and name Aaron Rodgers the starter, he started second guessing the decision. He knows the Packers are ready to make a run at the Super Bowl if he is the QB. 

Then summer comes along and he wasn't going through a routine that goes back 30 years. I would imagine that's tough for anyone who knows they can still play. 

Brett Favre loves football and loves to compete. If the Packers are ready to move on without him, as crazy as that sounds, then that's up to them. Even though it's Brett Favre, it's still a business. 

This goes for any sport. 

Michael Jordan retired, came back, retired again, and came back again before he hung up his high tops for the last time. It's nobody's call but the athlete in question. 

Just put yourself in their shoes.

Whether any of us went on to play in college or further, it was still tough when competitive sport was over. Imagine if that has been your job for 15+ years, and you have to decide right on the spot.

I admit I'm getting tired of hearing the same story about Favre everyday, but I can understand how it would be tough for him.

If Favre lines up under center for another team, it would be a big change for everybody. The Packers would have to just go on with their business and rally around Aaron Rodgers. Joe Montana spent the end of his playing days in Kansas City red after years of dominance with San Francisco. 

However, some of these athletes do hang on for too long. If you are still playing, but aren't a starter or big contributor for the team, then I can't imagine going through everything is worth it. I don't think Jerry Rice liked the idea of being a fourth-string receiver for Seattle at the end of his era. 

Ultimately, if you can still play, and play well, play as long as you can. We only get one chance to play sports in our life, so we might as well play for as long as we possibly can. 

In light of the popularity and feedback received of one of my latest articles "Dear Media: Stop Reporting Scandal and Start Reporting Sports!", I'm going to end each of my articles with some of the meaningless dribble that I catch on sports networks with nothing to do with sports. 

This time it starts with none other then ESPN.

Currently, they are doing a poll of which college football team has the coolest helmet. Wow, now that is some news! I'm sure any college coach would be proud to know his team straps on the coolest looking helmet, even if that all-important BCS bid doesn't work out for him.

I can already see Pete Carroll in the interview after the season is over when Jay Crawford asks him what happened down the stretch. 

"Well Pete, your club lost a few key games at the end of the year that ultimately took you out of BCS contention."

"Yeah it was tough Jay, but our players are proud to know that we have the coolest helmets in all of college football. Maybe we'll figure out the football stuff next year."

The search for Titletown must be ending soon, at least I hope.