Defaulting, dropout sports persons Zidane's playing career ended with a chest head butt on an opponent
Zidane's playing career ended with a chest head butt on an opponent

Zidane’s playing career ended with a chest head butt on an opponent

Innocent Choga  Fitness
The primary reason for engaging school children in Physical Education and sport is to encourage them to stay physically active for life. Becoming high-profile athletes and winning trophies is a secondary issue. Physical Education is not only about coaching to win; it is also about impacting life skills. So athletes who stop exercising but resume later on are defaulters and those who stop forever are dropouts. The Physical Education and sport journey was not successful if they quit, it does not matter how many trophies they collected at whatever level. Quitting the fitness lifestyle can come with a price tag, depression and weight problems.

Athletes exercise a lot in order to get into shape so that they can perform to the best of their abilities in whatever sports they are involved in. After experiencing the euphoric and great feeling associated with exercise, athletes are supposed to yearn for those states and desire to stay in shape for a lifetime. These states are not regarded with fondness because they come through gruelling sessions which extend beyond the pain zone. A person who is just training for fitness has no obligation to go to those levels. It is usually after athletes cease competing that some will appreciate these benefits, the feeling that something is missing. All over the world there are some former athletes who will stop exercising for good after their sporting careers are over. Thinking that they deserve the break, they will go on unpaid pension from all sporting and exercise activities.

Some former athletes and experts have attributed this cessation of exercise to the unfortunate situation of permanent injuries. They also cite burnout and boredom emanating from the activities that started in youth stages for some athletes. For others perhaps the only reason they participated in the sport is that they were very good at it and it never occurred to them that there was an ulterior motive in introducing them to sport, that of exercising for a life time.

For some motivation comes from glory and fame only, just as some coaches are interested in winning and saving their jobs first and foremost. Not that it is the coaches’ fault of course; but this is due to the demands of their results-oriented job. Just like all other citizens former athletes have a duty to help develop the nation in various capacities. If they become coaches/trainers, they have to be fit to perform to the best of their abilities and help teams/clients perform maximally. They also have the duty to motivate and be exemplary to the young athletes in terms of fitness. Besides they cause emotional stress to their fans who care and worry so much when their heroes are in a bad state.

Athletes are not immune to the ailments that everybody suffers. They face the same hardships that all people endure. Research has shown that the pre and post retirement phases are a time of crisis for most athletes. When skills start fading some athletes behave irrationally. It is not easy to lose athletic skills and remain level headed. Sport itself is said to instil some right or wrong attitudes in the minds of athletes. Misdemeanours have been associated with some sportspersons prior to or soon after retirement Sports persons are not durable commodities. Because sport is physically demanding, their shelf life is very short. Retirement comes through injuries, exhaustion and age. Most athletes are susceptible to depression at this pre/post-retirement stage. It is not all about the cash, even millionaire athletes suffer. It is about identity crisis; loss of athletic identity, just like fish going out of the water.

Researchers say because athletes are lauded as naturally strong minded and because of the demigod status bestowed upon them by fans, they will not reveal any prevailing negative states and they will suffer in silence. It is said very few high profile athletes have admitted to being victims of this crisis. These include multiple Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe, soccer players Neil Lennon, Paul Gascoigne and boxing legends Frank Bruno and Sugar Ray Leonard. Fans also pile the pressure on the “stars” by expecting these mere mortals to be perfect and successful in and out of the athletic arena when perhaps, they actually have their own health and fitness problems, or earned little or nothing from the activities they actually sacrificed their time and meagre earnings on.

Some athletes can be victims because they have a tunnel vision; selfishly focusing too much on their sporting activities. At times this depression goes to higher levels, a number of athletes have committed suicide following retirement from sport. Depressed Russian judoka Elena Ivashchenko is believed to have committed suicide in 2013 spurred by her failure to win a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Athletes with fading skills may turn to enhancers to attain glory by all means; a mental problem where athletes jeopardise their lives and the livelihood of their families.

However, some athletes are said to go through this phase remarkably well, actually looking forward to redirecting their energies and refocusing on other planned activities. These former athletes will use the methods they used to conquer on the pitch/stage to face the hurdles in life? They will use exercise as a natural way to lift up the mood, improve the memory and protect the brain against cognitive decline.

I wonder if Ojay Simpson’s alleged shenanigans were connected to the post–retirement blues. Zidane’s playing career ended with a chest head butt on opponent. Eric Cantona went out with a karate kick on a fan, could these be classified as misdemeanours associated with waning skills or pre–retirement blues? Are Wayne Rooney and Tiger Woods also victims of dissipating skills and pre–retirement blues? Has David Beckham and Kirsty Coventry made perfect transitions? Redirecting their energies and refocusing on other projects? Rio Ferdinand is turning to professional boxing at the age of 38, is this redirection of efforts or post retirement crisis?

George Best was well known for being a victim of his status and his pre and post retirement is said to have been characterised by pleasure pursuits, but his supporters say the decline of his skills and his team was the cause of his problems not the other way round. Diego Maradona had obesity problems, and had to undergo rehabilitation in a psychiatry clinic. Michael Jordan also once had weight problems but got back to exercising.

Are those former athletes who are still in great physical shape like The King (Pele) and The Austrian Oak (Schwarzenegger) still exercising? If they still do, what motivates them? I suppose there is need to make an extensive local research in this area. Experts are now reconsidering the role of sports psychologists and community support as more important to athletes than perceived before. Athletes are born with and accumulate a lot of physical energy and focus which does not dissipate totally. Therefore it makes sense to vent it through the right outlets. Focusing on exercise, a familiar activity closely related to an athlete’s identity is ideal.

Innocent Choga is a six time National Bodybuilding Champion with international experience. He is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport. Email:[email protected]

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