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“I will wonder if I made the wrong decision. I’m sure on Sundays I will say I could be doing that. I should be doing that.” – Brett Farve.
Super Bowl winning quarterback Brett Farve retired in March 2008. By August he was back.
The emphasis on a sportsperson to leave their chosen sport at the pinnacle, when their dominance and aura is at their best, is overplayed.
The talk around Adam Goodes and his future has risen over the past month. A string of good performances have silenced many of those voices.
Now the whispers are getting louder around the great Chris Judd. The fans want him to go on, but only if he can perform at his scintillating best. Those days are behind Judd, but the game is not.
For a player to want to play on, the only person they need to convince is themselves. The decision whether they are picked is up to the coach.
Lucas Neill made himself available for this year’s World Cup. He was not selected. That was a huge blow to the former Socceroo captain, but one that should never diminish his standing in the game. There is no shame in wanting to represent your country; it’s up to the coaches to decide whether you’re good enough.
When teams are struggling, often the senior players are pushed out. That’s how the game evolves. But that evolution is not the burden of the player. The coaching panel decides the team and the future direction; the player just wants to play.
Tony Lockett came out of retirement, and found his gear on the exercise bike.
Michael Schumacher got back behind the wheel, and found a spot on the grid he didn’t know existed.
Michael Jordan rejoined the sport he owned, and acquired it once more.
Those stories are not uncommon. But one trend is that each athlete believed they had more to give. A thought they weren’t done, and we should applaud each of them for letting the fire continue to burn.
Some careers are ended too early through misfortune, others through poor advice or judgement. If a mistake is made, let it be that the player went too long, never too short.
Lleyton Hewitt hasn’t got through a press conference in the last three years without being asked if this season is his last. These days he loses to players who were in nappies when he won his first tournament; players who wore their hats backwards because that’s what their hero did growing up.
But among the beat-ups are glimmers of hope. That on his day, on his week, on his fortnight, he can still beat the best. Roger Federer was a victim on a January day in Brisbane this year.
That is the glory of sport. Let the losses come, because they will, but also let the wins be great, for they amount to much more.
Let Goodes continue to play. Give him the opportunity to show that any position on the ground is not beyond him.
Let Judd grace to field in 2015, to show that no space is too small when he’s trying to break free.
Let the player play, and the coach coach.
Because, as they say in the classics, you’re a long time retired.
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