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Introduction
Many athletes live a post-retirement life that suggests that they were not ready for retirement. The aspects of post-retirement athlete life that support this statement include financial problems, attempts at a comeback after retirement, and miserable social lives after retirement. These signs indicate that most athletes are never prepared for retirement and wish that their careers could continue to their death. Athletes have therefore suffered serious financial problems, career choice problems and social problems after retirement, and this has raised concerns over the unpreparedness of athletes for retirement. It is thus of essence that athletes realize the importance of preparing for the undesirable effects of retirement. The benefits of preparing for retirement can be seen in athletes who have done the same in the past. Such athletes live productive and successful lives after retirement and do not depend on their past athletic performances to nourish their sense of accomplishment. An example of such an athlete is Mohammad Ali who has since retirement received numerous awards related to his philanthropy. In this paper, we discuss the issue of athlete retirement and highlight the lives of Mohammad Ali and Michael Jordan after retirement to form an opinion as to whether these retired athletes dealt well with their retirement (“Retired athletes face tough road” 1).
The transition
After retirement, athletes may have plan B’s but they miss a very important part of their lives. They miss the fame and significance they had as sports personalities. The ability of an athlete to positively cope with the loss of fame and significance could draw a thin line between having a successful transition and losing purpose and drive in life (Tholen 1). Many athletes have lived miserable lives after retirement due to their unawareness of the effect of losing fame and significance in their lives and their unwillingness to accept change and look for productive post-retirement activities. According to Maslow’s law, human beings have hierarchical needs. These are physiological, safety, love/belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization. These needs are listed in order of utmost importance. The last four needs are psychological and when not met, they can lead to distress and anxiety (Boeree 1). This theory explains why management of the loss of significance is important to retired athletes. In addition to the loss of significance, there is also the loss of connection with the sporting fraternity. The athlete also faces a lot of uncertainty relating to finances, career, recognition and appreciation. It is a common phenomenon for athletes to file for divorce following their retirement from active athletics. Others start looking for jobs in the overcrowded career environment and may end up more frustrated. The recognition of the importance of considering losing significance on retirement may make an athlete’s life after retirement more fulfilling. The athlete can find ways of coping with the loss and may even replace the lost significance with more fulfilling activities. The athlete should thus be aware of the implications of retirement before retiring and set out new strategies for achievement and confidence. Failure to appreciate the implications of retirements may lead to unwise attempts to regain fame that will most probably be followed by failure. This is evidenced by the attempts of a comeback by numerous retired athletes (Tholen 1).
Another reason for post-retirement stress is the physical and mental pain that follows from the bodily abuse that athletes experience on the playing field. It is common for athletes to suffer from bodily disorders like severe arthritis, dementia, nutritional problems and other ailments that affect their post-retirement lives significantly. These problems, coupled with the effects of loss of significance, may lead to a lot of psychological problems which may have adverse effects on the individual. Such kinds of ailments have been evident in Mohammad Ali who has Parkinson’s disease and in other athletes who have had complications ranging from injuries to prostate cancer. An example of an athlete who was overwhelmed by the effects of retirement is the beach volleyball star, Mike Whitmarsh, who committed suicide after stardom (Oden 1). Let us sample other athletes and see how they coped with their post-retirement life.
Examples of retired athletes
To have a glimpse of the effects of retirement on athletes, let us have a look at the post-retirement lives of some prominent athletes. Observe that most of the athletes discussed below attempted a comeback after retirement, most probably due to the hunger for significance that follows after retirement. However, some athletes do not make comebacks once they retire. An example is Ozzie Smith. The list of comebacks and other effects of athlete retirement is endless and it includes names Evander Holyfield, Ricky Henderson, etc. Let us have a detailed look at the post-retirement lives of two professional athletes to see how they have been able to cope with the stress associated with retiring from fame and significance (Severson ).
Mohammad Ali- claimed to be the greatest boxer ever, had a very successful boxing career in his early boxing years. However, after the “Fight of the Century” (Tholen 1), “Rumble in the Jungle” (Tholen 1), and the “Thriller in Manilla” (Tholen 1) in his early and mid-thirties, his career started to decline. He lost to Leon Spinks in the year 1978 and in 1980 he got knocked out by his opponent, Larry Holmes. His last appearance in the ring in the year 1981 made him give up his title to Trevor Berbick. He retired the following day. After his retirement, Ali is hitherto involved in philanthropy. He disclosed his Parkinson’s disease in the year 1984 and he, since then, raises money for his Parkinson Centre based in Arizona. He has also supported organizations like the Make a Wish Foundation and the Special Olympics. He has traveled to numerous countries helping the needy. These countries include Mexico and Morocco. He was named the Messenger of Peace by the United Nations following his philanthropic work in developing nations. In the year 2005, he was awarded by President George W. Bush the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is still active in public life despite his disease. From his works, he is a true champion who has a passion and dedication to his beliefs. He was present during the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black American president and he afterward received an award for his tireless efforts in public service. He has really lived to confirm his self-proclamation as “The Greatest” (Fleuranvil 1)
Although Mohammad Ali’s comeback in 1970 led to a couple of losses that slightly affected his legacy, Ali lives a very positive life after his retirement. His involvement in philanthropy and positive attitude towards his Parkinson’s disease has made him an achiever and champion out of the ring. He has received numerous awards related to his involvement in philanthropy and public service and thus it can be argued that he continues to enjoy a sense of achievement long after his retirement from boxing. Ali accepted his conditions after being defeated a couple of times in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and maintained a positive attitude towards his life after retirement. This explains why he has maintained success even after retiring from the ring. Conclusively, Mohammad Ali dealt with his retirement well although, at first, he had a hard time staying out of the ring (Ballay 1).
After success while playing with the school’s team at the University of Carolina and the Chicago bulls and after the death of his father, Michael Jordan retired from playing basketball to play baseball. This move shocked many of his fans given the star he was while playing for Chicago Bulls. He played baseball with Birmingham Barons for a year. In 1995, he came back to basketball and helped the Bulls beat Seattle Sonics. He also starred in Space Jam (1996) in the year. During the following season, he helped the Bulls secure a couple of wins and retired after the end of the season (1997-1998 season). He later joined the Washington Wizards as head of basketball operations and part-owner. He however left his roles for the court in 2001 and played for two seasons for the Wizards. He resigned for good in 2003. In the year 2006, he purchased a share of Charlotte Bobcats. He, therefore, joined the executive personnel of the team as the manager of basketball operations. In 2009, he was honored by being included in the Basketball Hall of Fame at Naismith Memorial. He has also been involved in a number of off-court activities which include a couple of business ventures (Boeree 1).
Although Michael Jordan was substantially affected by the problems associated with the retiring of athletes, he maintained an optimistic view towards his retirement life. His count of three retirements is a sign of his passion for basketball and the determination he had to spend his retirement life in basketball-related activities. This passion is also seen in his determination to spend his retirement life in the management of basketball clubs. He entered the Washington Wizards at the managerial position though he later left the position for the court. Later on, he purchased shares in Charlotte Bobcats to join its management. This is evidence of his love for this game. However, he later began to appreciate the fact that he was not destined to die on the court. He, therefore, gave baseball a try and also starred in the film Space Jam (1996). He is also involved in a couple of businesses and thus he has been able to have a life outside basketball. Conclusively, Michael Jordan’s comeback to enter the court with the Wizards was a setback to the successful player that he had been. At his age, he was outperformed by younger players and his team did not make it to the playoffs. It can thus be argued that he could have done better than that. However, his efforts in baseball, film, business and club management can be taken to be a plus towards having a positive retirement life. Therefore, Michael Jordan has had a retirement life characterized by mistakes and achievement (“Michael Jordan” 1).
Conclusion
Although some athletes live positive lives after retirement, it is a common trend for athletes to be affected by their loss of fame after retirement. In some cases, retirement is followed by financial problems that prompt athletes to make comeback attempts. These comebacks mostly lead to embarrassments and ‘dilution’ of previous achievements as in the case of Mohammad Ali and Michael Jordan whose comebacks were met with failures that had a substantial effect on the legendary athleticism they had previously achieved. Athletes are thus generally hesitant to retire.
A number of reasons have been suggested to explain why athletes are hesitant to retire. The first reason is their retiring age. Most professional athletes retire in their thirties or early forties when relatively young. They, therefore, have a couple of years to live and the energy to re-enter their athletic careers. The second reason is their addiction to the limelight. Athletes are normally adored by their fans and once they retire, they can miss their statuses and fans. They are also addicted to the games they play and thus retiring from the games can be, kind of, depriving. Many athletes face depression after retirement. This leads to adjustments in their ways of life which can be very stressful (Severson 1). The reasons stated above explain why most athletes make comebacks. Despite the fact that life after retirement is hard for athletes, they should plan their lives before retirement and take the effects of retirement positively. This way, athletes will be able to overcome the effects of retiring and find new ways of achieving fame and financial stability.
Works Cited
Ballay, Chris. Cold Reality of Retirement for Professional Athletes. 2010. Web.
Boeree, G. Abraham Maslow. 2006. Web.
China Daily. Retired athletes face tough roads. 2010. Web.
Fleuranvil, Fabiola. Life After the Field. 2010. Web.
“Michael Jordan.” 2010. Biography.com.
Oden, Beverly. Mike Whitmarsh and the plight of the retired athlete. 2009. Web.
Severson, Jesse. What happens to retired athletes? Jan. 2010. Web.
Tholen, Annette. Retired Athletes Can Miss the Significance. 2009. Web.
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