One would think not having to work ever again with essentially endless funds would be quite the lifestyle, but those who think that are not taking into account how dearly athletes hold competition.
Case in point: Steve Nash, an exceptionally honest personality, sent this tweet out that gives me all the sads:
Miss being a ball player today
— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) June 7, 2015
-== Lakers Draft Evaluations: Comparing Then & Now ==-
Now, the embittered Laker fan in me would be quick to point out Nash hasn’t really been a ball player since coming to Los Angeles, but that would be a terrible cheap shot that comes from a really dark place. It’s a good thing the embittered Lakers fan in me doesn’t make all my decisions.
Nash encapsulates the identity crisis athletes go through upon retirement. They’ve worked their entire lives for something and, when it goes away, the hole left behind is nearly impossible to fill.
Think of it this way: When you’re asked to describe yourself, one of the first things you say is what you do for a living, especially if you love your job. The type of passion athletes have to have to be successful enough to be paid millions of dollars to play a sport is almost unequivocal. So, when there is no avenue into which to display that passion, the feeling as it sizzles out, has to be impossibly depressing.
Yes, Nash’s tweet is only six words long, but it perfectly sums up that feeling. It’s almost perfect that he doesn’t include the period at the end of that sentence, the tweet was as close to pure, honest emotion as you’ll find. Such emotion, when spilled out into words can get sloppy. The overly analytical English grad in me would say leaving the period out could symbolize his desire for a career that lasts forever.
This is why you see athletes hold on for too long. The abyss that follows that career is crushing. Now, someone please give Steve a hug.