Athletic careers very rarely end how you picture it. One second, you are having the time of your life with friends who will last forever… and one second later you seem to feel all alone. Just like that, you will never share the playing field with those friends again. It doesn’t matter if you finish your career in high school, college, or the pros. It doesn’t matter if you willingly walk away from the game. It feels the exact same. It’s a really tough feeling to cope with. It flat out sucks.
The majority of the time, barring significant injury, you can at least prepare for the end. Leave it all out on the field. You realize how much time you have left, how many games, how many innings or quarters. However, this one is different.
A global pandemic? That’s how it ends???
Years of hard work leading up to this moment and in the blink of an eye, its gone…
It’s not fair, but life rarely is.
I can’t explain how badly I feel for you. At 31 years old, I miss playing every day. Regular people don’t seem to understand it. Move on, forget about it, find another outlet. I try to rewire my train of thought and find different ways to fill the void of no longer competing. Not going to lie, IT’S REALLY HARD. You spend so many hours preparing, so many hours with your best friends. Blood, sweat, and tears. It literally consumes your life for a huge portion of your life. I have spent more years playing sports than I haven’t spent playing sports. It’s near impossible to replicate the adrenaline rush of competition with your teammates.
“Sports aren’t everything” and I can somewhat agree… but they were my avenue for access to everything else. My best friends are my former teammates - we met playing sports. I got into college because I played sports. My career now as a strength and conditioning coach is because of sports. Not to mention the countless lessons I learned that helped shape who I am today. Leadership, teamwork, dedication, commitment, going through adversity, pushing harder. I wouldn’t be who I am today without sports.
Think of everything competition has done for you in your life!
Whether we like it or not, life goes on. We can’t control time or what’s happening in our world. However, we do control our attitude and the impact we make on this world. As the first few chapters of your story come to a close, you still have the rest of your book to write. Right now is the best time to start putting that pen to paper. Find your next passion and attack it like you were preparing for the biggest game of your life. You can be sad that this portion of your life is over, but always remember how happy you were when you played. It’s a privilege to play the game you love! Most importantly, make sure you tell your family how thankful you are. Mom, dad, sister, brother, grandparents - your biggest fans. They will always be your biggest fans.
Sports may shape you but NEVER let them define you.
Today, I am a husband and the best damn dad on the planet! I own a business that took years of work to build. I still talk to my former teammates every day because I love those guys. I put every bit of effort I have into helping current athletes. Whether they know it or not, I am preparing them for life beyond sports - helping them use sports as their avenue. I’m not sure I understood this at your age but there is so much more out there in this world beyond sports. One day, you will see that and hopefully remember this letter. Welcome to the rest of your life.
NOW GO MAKE YOUR IMPACT!!!
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