Some sports stars are not really sure on when they should call it quits. Some retire and come back, while others do it so gracefully no one even knows they left the game (at least that’s what they tell themselves, it’s really that no one cares if they leave).
A recently study we imagined shows that nearly 85 percent of literate athletes (34 total in the U.S.) read SG. With that in mind, The Guys bring you how to retire from professional sports.
Tools:
- Self respect
- Several records
- Wife who may or may not despise you yet
- Liquid assets
- Sharpie
1) Timing is everything.
Let’s face it, your knees aren’t what they used to be. It hurts more and more to make a fist every season. The doc says the next concussion could kill you and the wife is getting tired of taking care of the kids while you bag models after road games. It may be time to hang up those dirty, smelly cleats.
It is important to go out before you start to suck. You do not want to tarnish your legacy by playing an extra season with the crowd booing you. No, you need to go out on top, like Elway did after winning the Super Bowl. But most importantly, you need to announce it either early in the season or before the season starts, that way ESPN can launch a series of retrospectives on your numerous accomplishments. Plus, it give the newspapers something to talk about and management time to prepare for the Post-You Era.
2) Start mentally preparing yourself.
It is not easy to keep one’s mind on the next game or the next play, but you need to start accepting that everything has an end–including the one thing you have ever been good at in your entire life. Start thinking about how much you will enjoy all the free time. You know you love the off-season. Think of it as an extended off-season without the nagging fear of showing up to training camp 65 lbs. overweight. Yes, you will be living the good life, playing video games, eating steaks and drinking fine brandy all day long. Overall, you will probably not have as many cuts and bruises on a day-to-day basis.
3) Consider some investments.
You may be thinking to yourself: “I am a professional athlete, I make millions of dollars a year. When I retire, my future is certainly secure.” You are flat out wrong on that one, bub. What happens when the little lady wants a divorce and gets half your money? What happens when your offspring decide they want you to fund their college education and/or drug habits?
It’s time to manage your money. You might want to write a book. It is what most athletes do after they retire. You do not even have to write it, you just have to help the ghost writer. It can be about your career, it can be about a season, it can be about a theme in your life and if can be an autobiography. Another route is getting your own reality show, like Terry “Hulk” Hogan. If all else fails, there is always celebrity endorsements and sports commentating.
4) Go through with your plan.
As an ambassador of your sport, a living legend, some might say, it is your job to hand over the crown to the next generation of athletes. There are kids that grew up with posters of you on their walls and some of them you are now playing against. It is time to go, so when the clock hits 0:00, leave it all out on the field. Remember your college graduation? Of course you don’t, you were drafted your sophomore year, but if you had been there, this moment would remind you of it.
You may choose to cry, you may choose to simply acknowledge the crowd and then trot off into history, or you may do what everyone else does and talk into every microphone that comes your a half mile of you, saying how much you love this game and how much you are going to miss it. Be sure to stock up on glossy photographs and sharpies. You are going to need them–at least for the first couple years.