From Super Bowl champion Nick Foles to two-time Women’s World Cup winner Alex Morgan, the past few weeks have seen a flurry of athlete retirement news. For athletes, retirement can be an emotional transition and it’s important they are prepared for what comes next. Whether forced by injury, age or simply the desire to pursue other interests, athlete retirement is never easy.
Not only do they lose their sport, but they also have to figure out how to stay healthy and active. With long sports seasons, elite training and equipment costs, many Olympians report living on food stamps or having credit card debt in their early days of retirement. It’s important for athletes to plan ahead and be financially stable when hanging up their cleats.
For some athletes, the choice to retire is a lifelong dream they have waited to fulfill for decades. Others have to retire because of injury or to make room on their team for younger players. Whatever the reason, retirement is a huge change for both athletes and those who support them. For parents and partners, it means no more rushing to and from practice or traveling to competitions. For coaches, it can mean losing a student and someone to be prideful of.
These athletes all have one thing in common—they decided it was time to retire but ended up “un-retiring” and coming back stronger than ever. Hopefully, these stories can inspire those who are considering retiring to think twice and seek the help and support they need to navigate the transition.