This week, many of our favorite athletes hung up their jerseys for the last time. Super Bowl LII hero Nick Foles and one of the best defensive backs in NFL history, Tyrann Mathieu, both announced their retirement from the game. The world of professional sports can be brutal on the body and mind, and sometimes it’s hard to know when to call it quits.
Some athletes struggle to find their self-identity outside of their sport, and the shift from professional athlete to regular person can be especially difficult for those who have spent a lot of time in the spotlight. Many Olympians, for example, live below the poverty line while chasing their dreams, and some can end up right where they started once they retire.
Luckily, some athletes don’t have to go through that struggle alone. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee recently unveiled a new program that will give retiring athletes $100,000 in their first year out of the sport. This amount will increase with every additional Olympic Games they compete in.
This could be a huge help to athletes, many of whom spend their careers shelling out thousands on elite coaching and equipment and forgoing regular employment to train around the clock. This can lead to financial stress, with some Olympians even resorting to food stamps and credit card debt once they retire from their sport. Hopefully this new program can help ease that pressure for some of our country’s most beloved athletes.