Life Imitating Art: Who Determines When a Player is Finished?

It seems as if there is a set precedent for an athlete to follow so they may determine what their longevity will be on the professional level.

Scouting reports and analysis have become the primary methods to determine just how long an athlete should play.

Unfortunately, these reports don't take a competitor's heart and soul into consideration.

A player's professional time line is no longer contingent upon their skills or abilities, but how long they have played, what kinds of injuries they have sustained, and how they have been utilized.

Determinations on how long a player should be expected to suit up have been established by the men who've come before them. But is that a fair way to evaluate a player?

When the NFL Draft nears, experts are already predicting how long someone is going to play well before taking a meaningful snap.

It's been determined that running backs may have a 10-year career. Offensive linemen seem to have the longest shelf life, with careers than can reach 15 years.

Wide receivers might play for 12 years, but the first three are expected to serve as developmental seasons to adjust to the NFL.

This understanding is actually an attempt to push athletes out sooner than they may be prepared. It's an unfair policy utilized by management when they feel an established player can no longer produce an adequate level.

Unfortunately, this belief system carries over to fans when they begin to believe a player is done after playing x-amount of seasons.

When the San Francisco 49ers decided it was no longer in their plans to keep Hall of Famer, Jerry Rice, he gave the NFL four more seasons with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks.

Those seasons spent away from the team whose identity he helped create were not in vain. Rice contributed exceptionally until his body could no longer keep pace with the demands established by younger athletes.

But many fans and analysts believed he was done after being injured in 1997. Their beliefs were validated when he returned only to produce some of his lowest numbers in his career.

His ability was doubted, and his competitive spirit returned him to form when he found a new home in Oakland.

The drama going on in Green Bay between the Packers and Brett Favre is the most recent example of a man being pushed out when he's trying to say he's not finished.

Favre may have doubted his desire to play during the off-season, but until papers were signed, his resignation shouldn't have been accepted as official.

Teams look to select and sign players with heart. Unfortunately, they don't know how to manage them when that heart tells them they can keep playing.

Who's at fault in this situation? Is it Brett Favre for wanting to continue with his dedication? Or is it Green Bay for wanting to see what they've got in a young quarterback they may have drafted in vain, thinking Favre would be done two years ago?

While these general managers seek to establish youth movements, they have a tendency to forget that the older athletes, the men who have made their money, won their awards and achieved their glory are running off pure heart and soul.

Their motives aren't fueled by anything else but love for the game. Professional sports needs more of that.

Rocky Balboa may be a fictional sports icon, but Sylvester Stallone's 2006 film perfectly summarizes the spirit of men that can never leave the game alone.

"Maybe you're looking out for your interests just a little bit more...you think that's right?" asks Balboa. "If you're willing to go through all the battling you got to go through to get where you want to get, who's got the right to stop you?

"Maybe some of you guys got something you never finished, something you really want to do... and you're told 'No,' even after you paid your dues? Who's got the right to tell you that, who? Nobody!"

Angel Navedo is the Head Writer at NYJetsFan.com, boasting Jet Fuel Radio, frequently updated news and opinions, and a premier fan community.