Why Athletes Struggle After Retirement

"The student athletes will endure life long effects of playing physically demanding sports. “Injuries can saddle them with years of medical bills.” (Majerol). Athletes are there to make the college sports better, schools see them as only someone to help make them profit by making the sports program better. As soon as they leave the sports program they no longer care about the physical trauma, and mental trauma the athlete has to deal with the rest of their life. “less than 2 percent of college athletes ever compete professionally.” (Zissou). This mean 2 percent of the athletes will proffesional medical care, while the other 98 percent have to pay out of pocket for the rest of their lives on their used up knees and backs relying on medication to help numb some of the pain so they can get by. Football is one of the most taxing on the body, a study released July of 2017 says “A Journal of the American Medical Association report says

As a result former football players are experiencing health issues. Sports news headlines have been abundant with stories concerning former NFL players currently suffering from headaches, loss of memory, dementia, and early Alzheimer’s (Ellenbogen, 2010;Neumann, 2011). Even though the devastation of concussions is just beginning to rise to the surface, they have always been around. There appear to be several recent cases involving former and current NFL players committing suicide that was influenced by some of the suffering due to medical maladies associated with playing football (Amen, 2011). Many skeptics of football related concussions have indicated such health issues are coincidental and people commit suicide for different reasons; or that early Alzheimer’s as well as dementia are known to develop with age (Casson, 2010). Recently attention has been given to the fact that there may be a link between various cases (Nowinski, 2006). Consequently, each of these players associated with these stories all sustained repeated concussions while playing football. Although several of these concussions were documented, players were forced to sit out for a few plays; however, others were not documented, and because the game was close, were asked to stay on the

Young athlete’s main goal to attain is to become a professional athlete. Many want to become a professional athlete due to the money, others for the love of the particular sport that they are interested in. There is a downside in becoming a professional athlete, that many young players are not aware of. This downside is that professional athletes’ go broke faster than they are drafted into the leagues. Many professional athletes such as NBA and NFL players go broke due to career duration, overspending, family issues, and lack of financial knowledge.

The next issue would be how to fix this so we do not hear so many sad stories about our favorite athletes going bankrupt. Proper education would be first. Allowing athletes to better understand long term investments, and where there money should be spent if needed. This cannot occur without the help and support of friends and family. The real problem comes from within. Many money issues can be resolved if people would stop taking advantage of these young men. Their family and friends should be protecting and providing support to these young athletes, but instead they are being taken advantage of because of their money. This problem will never be fully resolved without the proper action taken by those closest to the players.

With the increase in concussion the NFL has seen multiple “superstar” athletes retire from the game early such as, Calvin Johnson who is border line Hall of Fame numbers, Jarod Mayo who was a two-time pro bowler who should be entering in the league at his prime, B.J. Raji was a young stud for a super bowl winning team (Kurtenbach). All three athletes were 30 years old and younger (Kurtenbach). This is because the risk-reward equation for NFL players has changed dramatically, and the understanding of risk will continue to grow faster than the rewards moving forward

In America, the sports industry is one of the largest and most powerful country; whether the sport is football, baseball, basketball, or any of the other sports the country has. Recently reports and documented cases have risen involving some of these sports’ greatest athletes, as well as current players, dealing with concussions (Famous sports concussions, 2012). Numerous athletes, some of them being the sport’s highest profile players, were found to have several mental illnesses and diseases, that have been attributed to head injuries sustained while they were playing their sports. The biggest and most predominant of these injuries is concussions. They can cause not only immediate issues, but also a lifetime of health

The National Football League (NFL) or as some people may say, “Not for long” is responsible for some of the greatest athletes. Excellence appears to be their one goal, which is to win Super Bowl championships. Some players perform at a high level for a while, whereas others don’t have a chance at experiencing actual playing time on the field at all. NFL players are less and less likely to have a definitive long-term career in the NFL. On average their career may span for about 3 ½ years (Stradley, 2011). (Workman Pub Co, 2002) The NFL has added several new teams, provided innovative equipment, additional rules, distinctive

Just imagine being 21-year-old making millions of dollars, many athletes can not handle the amount of money that comes their way. These young athletes spend their money on drugs and alcohol. Look at Johnny Manziel a 23-year-old football player. When the money came his way, he became a notorious partier, drugs, alcohol and parties took over his life. His lifestyle caused the Cleveland Browns to release him. Many athletes’ careers are ruined because of their lifestyle; Drugs, alcohol and parties take over their lives. This bad lifestyle all starts off in college where binge drinking, drug use are the norms for an athlete. Many college sports teams and many fraternities and sororities team up and throw wild parties every weekend. “It is reported that up to 70% of college athletes take part in binge drinking and 47% smoke cannabis.” (Verger,2003). Last season the NFL suspended 26 players for abusing the substance abuse policy, of the twenty-six twenty-five were suspended for smoking marijuana. The average age of the players was 24.6 years old. Most players leave college to play in the NFL when they're 20-22 years old. This means that bad lifestyle habits are in fact carrying over into the NFL from college, It is not only from college I would have to worry about the lifestyle, many ex-NFL players are addicted to painkillers and other drugs to cope with the pain from playing. “Up to 70% of players have taken opium or another pain killer without a prescription to deal with the physical pain from playing.” (Strain, 2011) Many players develop a dependence on opioid once their careers are over to cope with the pain. The combination of numerous hits to the body and post career drug use means that the average lifespan of an NFL player is “55 years,”(Maki, 2012) while the average life expectancy in Canada is 81 years. Every hit adds up. To have a long

In America, the sports industry is one of the largest and most powerful country; whether the sport is football, baseball, basketball, or any of the other sports the country has. Recently reports and documented cases have risen involving some of these sports’ greatest athletes, as well as current players, dealing with concussions (Famous sports concussions, 2012). Numerous athletes, some of them being the sport’s highest profile players, were found to have several mental illnesses and diseases, that have been attributed to head injuries sustained while they were playing their sports. The biggest and most predominant of these injuries is concussions. They can cause not only immediate issues, but also a lifetime of health problems (Smith, 2009). Sports related concussions lead to brain deterioration, which leads to long lasting effects throughout life.

Head trauma can lead to brain disorders and mental health issues. 1 in 3 former NFL players have had 5 or more concussions and 3 in 4 still suffer symptoms today. A study shows that NFL football players who have sustained 3 or more concussions are 5 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment- a condition connected to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. NFL football players who were surveyed who had sustained 3 or more concussions were 3 times more likely to develop clinical depression compared to other players who had not suffered concussions. 9 in 10 former NFL players reported suffering from concussions during their career, 6 in 10 players reported having 3 or more concussions, and 2 in 3 of the former players who had concussions said they continue to have symptoms from concussions. A survey on retired NFL players discovered that about 9 in 10 report daily pain and 91% of them connect all of their pains to football. Andre Waters is an example of what research proves. It shows that players who’ve sustained 3 or more concussions are at a threefold risk of depression. 21-22% of this group have experienced depression, compared to 6-7% of the group, who haven’t experienced concussions, who haven’t dealt with depression. “In the [2007] survey of 2,552 retired players, almost 61% in the sample indicated that they had [suffered] a concussion in their career. Of

Once athletes retire they are forgotten about, their career is done and essentially a part of them is gone. Unfortunately, with all the structure that has allowed them to be so successful also comes dependence. When that structure is taken away what happens to their eating and exercise habits? These questions are important to the division 1 intercollegiate football athletes because it has been stated that collegiate athletes “have an identity on the playing surface. They have busy regulated lives. In many cases they enjoy a variety of privileges that accompany their athletic status. Unfortunately, this focus on athletics may also inhibit development of important life skills and the acquisition of varied life experiences that can be useful in career and personal planning,” (Sowa & Gressard, 1983 p. 236-239). Essentially athletes are finding the retirement process to be a painful and personally disruptive, (Pearson & Petitpas 1990, p.7-10, Werthner & Orlick 1986, p.337-363) because they are unprepared for the transition and how to deal with it.

Author of ‘The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values’ James L. Shulman has stated that “Sometimes athletes do not appreciate the educational opportunities they are given, particularly if they view the college experience merely as an opportunity to prepare to play in a professional sports league”(Shulman 1). Overall college athletes need to keep up a certain GPA to participate in sports while attending university, which means they care about their education. Also multiple college athletes stay longer to complete their college degree such as senior quarterback at the University of California, Berkley, Jared Goff, who is a projected top 5 selection in this years NFL draft. Senior editor for the Journal of the Business Law Society Krikor Meshefejian has stated “There are also student-athletes who have to leave school early because they do not have enough money to continue, or pay their bills and leaving school for a career in professional sports is an easy way of making money. The argument is that if student-athletes get paid, they will remain in school and complete their education”(Meshefejian 2).

One corporate social responsibility fear that the NFL is up against is the care of the former players who have transformed the league. The problem at hand is that former players feel that they don’t get the proper medical, emotional, and financial support they earned once they are no longer playing in the league. In July 2012 the “NFL Life Line” was created in an effort decrease the number of suicides that former players have filed against the NFL. There have also been about ten to twelve known players who have committed suicide because of symptoms from a condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. The condition can come from too much blunt force trauma to the head.

There are many dilemmas that plague sports. Some of those can range from bribing, cheating, racism, and sports safety. In the past the NBA had to deal with the betting scandal involving Tim Donaghy and baseball has had to deal with the issue of performance enhancers. The sports industry generates around half a trillion dollars a year and it has to deal with multiple dilemmas at the youth, college, and professional level. A growing issue with sports has been the number of injuries that athletes have had to deal with. Typical sports injuries range from twisting ankles, blowing out knees, and dislocating shoulders. Surgery and rehabilitation have helped athletes to recover and get them back on the playing field faster

The passages present a discussion about arguments concerning whether or not professional athletes are overpaid. This is an important debate since professional sports represents a multi-billion-dollar-per-year industry. The two positions argue whether or not professional athletes should be paid the large yearly salaries they are paid. Both viewpoints have valid claims warranting consideration. For example, evidence suggests that people with far more important jobs are paid much less than professional athletes; in contrast, opposing evidence suggests that since professional athletes generally have short careers and must train very hard to build and maintain their skills, the higher salary is justified. While both sides of the issue have valid points, the viewpoint that professional athletes are not overpaid is the best-supported position, the position supported by the preponderance of the evidence cited in the passages. The strongest and best reasons supporting this position are that professional athletes must endure grueling and intensive training, they generally have short careers that often end in injury, and the amount that they are thought to be paid is often inflated. Accordingly, these reasons and opposing viewpoints will be discussed next.