Retirement in Sports

I read today that Trent Dilfer is retiring from the NFL. After a long, mediocre but relatively proud career (he did win one Super Bowl) including a stint with my beloved Cleveland Browns, I bet he will not be making a comeback.

But that's the point of retirement! According to dictionary.com , retire means to "withdraw or remove oneself."

Can someone please inform Micheal Jordan, Roger (Roid-ger in some circles) Clemens and most recently the publicity addicted Brett Favre? Of course these are just a few of many including: world famous soccer superstar Pele, Weed loving, newly Canadian Ricky Williams, basketball stars Charles Oakley, Bob Cousy, Wilt Chamberlain, boxers George Foreman, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Muhammad Ali, tennis stars Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova and Olympian Jim Thorpe.

It is understandable that athletes in general have a hard time ending their careers. In order to be as successful as they are to get to the point of being a professional athlete, they need several particular traits including a competitive nature. This competitive nature or fire is what most likely plays the largest role in their lack of commitment to the "real world" of retirement because nothing in the "real world" can match the competitive nature of their job.

Also, as referenced at http://blogs.newretirement.com/2007/12/16/top-sports-anti-retirement-stories/, athletes deal with other contributing factors such as retiring at a younger age than most workers, addiction to the fame and publicity, addiction to the excitement of pro sports, and depression from the major life changes taking place.

With that said let me make it known that I am getting tired of the gone, back again story of Brett Favre and Micheal Jordan. Granted, Jordan managed to continue his excellence the second time around in Chicago showing that retiring for the baseball diamond was a mistake worthy and capable of being rectified, but to retire and come back again?! That was too much.

Brett Favre has commandeered the headlines in Green Bay and nationwide for several seasons now playing with spectators' emotions and interests about whether he will return to football or not. I try to understand his inability to stick with his retirement decision but this is getting old. This time around he held an official press conference to announce his retirement. But within weeks we heard about the locker remaining unavailable to other players and hints of a return. Now he is text messaging the front office of the Packers while they are on vacation. And ESPN has it on day and night. Kids at the Boys and Girls' Club are asking questions of the head coach Mike McCarthy about the possible return. Poor Aaron Rodgers, the QB in waiting for a number of years now, is continuing to answer for Brett's decision more than his own job.

It is as if Favre cannot take the spotlight leaving him. He has to keep control of the spotlight by throwing out just enough to bring it back to him so he can deny any of the rumors and "wash his hands" of the story. Yet, as soon as the media finally looks elsewhere, like clockwork, here come Favre again. So I spend my rides to softball listening to what team Favre would best fit in if Green Bay doesn't want him back. I also hear what Green Bay should do since Favre is a legend and it would be sacrilegious to get rid of him despite the serious need to move on and build for the future. And finally, what teams that Favre could play for are on the Packer's schedule meaning there could be the iconic Favre beating the home team Pack and the Lambeau crowd actually cheering since they love Brett more than the Packers.

I can't take much more of this. Mid summer is such a dry time for sports with baseball being the only real relevant sport of the major three in the U.S and 24 hour sports television and radio need filler but how about bringing some more smaller sports to light like Arena Football (C'mon Gladiators!) or soccer, or the upcoming Olympics instead of beating the same, tired story to death. I bet if the media stays away, eventually, so will Favre. But why would they when we, the fans, don't stay away either. I suppose if I want this to stop, I need to stop watching.

Oh no way. Nuh uh. H to the no!