When should an athlete retire?

When is it time to retire?  For athletes, just like anyone else, this is a tough and personal decision.  Any major life change is difficult, especially for a top athlete who announces their retirement while still performing well.  It is easy to say you are ready to take that step; it is quite another to actually understand all of the ramifications of what you have given up once it is in front of you.  Retirement is forced on some players as a result of injuries or being cut from a team.  For others, they are just plain tired, especially after a rough season.  Many continue to play because of economic pressures, others for the pure love of the game and to continue to give back to the team and fan base that supported them and some for pure ego reasons. 

Many athletes are ill-equipped to handle the aftermath of retirement, when they begin to feel the effects of the physical pain they have endured and ignored for years.  They no longer are in the limelight unless they go into media reporting.  They are no longer with their teammates on a daily basis or receiving accolades or intense physical conditioning and training.  Research has shown that depression and chronic pain are a significant problem for many athletes who have not adequately prepared themselves for retirement.

I have taken depositions of many retired athletes who later filed Workers' Compensation claims and noted that those who had managed their finances well and developed outside interests fared far better than those without adequate financial and emotional resources to sustain them, leading them to focus on "what was" and a devastating loss of identity.

As for whento retire, many athletes felt playing one more year has been the right decision.  Last NFL season, Michael Strahan decided to play one more season, leading to a Super Bowl win.  Junior Seau retired from football in 2006 withan injury four days before signing on for one year with the New England Patriots and ended up playing in the Super Bowl.  In baseball, many players (mostly left-handed pitchers) play well into their 40's such as Jamie Moyer and Randy Johnson.  On July 24th, Nancy Lieberman suited up for a WNBA Detroit Shock game at the age of 50.

The bottom line?  Let them play as long as the teams are willing to pay them, the fans support them and they are physically and mentally able to do so.

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