The topic of “life after sports” is a common one among coaches and former athletes, but how often do our young aspiring athletes think about it? Some young athletes may never play at the University or Professional level.  It is critical to prepare them for this possibility.  Even for those athletes who progress to the University or Professional level, most athletes retire well before the age of 50 and many are ill prepared to move in to another profession.  Many athletes who do make the “big time” fail to make good financial decisions and the money they made while playing professionally does not prove to be enough to support them for a lifetime.  Some former athletes find themselves so discouraged after their careers are over that they turn to drugs and crime.  But not all former athletes experience such challenges.  Former athletes such as Magic Johnson move pass their careers as athletes to find business careers that are even more lucrative than an athletic career.  Successful athletes learn to use their college and professional athletic careers as vehicles to rewarding careers off the field.

The mission of Life After Whistles is to encourage our young athletes to consider and plan for their lives after the whistle blows.  We encourage our youth to immediately start looking at their lives off the court as fields for successful competition and reward.  Our program is designed to facilitate speakers and educational opportunities that support our youth in living successful lives and preparing for their futures, both on and off the court.


The following quotes have been extracted from articles online that deal specifically with athletes who are facing their lives after the whistle.

Life After Sport - Coping With Retirement
By Annette Huygens-Tholen

“The body and mind can only go so far in a sporting career and once over, the athlete is faced with a new challenge. What to do now?”

Huygens-Tholen, Annette, “Life After Sport – Coping With Retirement”,  Ezinearticles.com.  Date of access 11/14/09. http://ezinearticles.com/?Life-After-Sport---Coping-With-Retirement&id=1827463


Life after sport? Counseling Professional Athletes Facing Retirement

“Additional problems can occur on transition where athletes have pursued their sports career to the detriment of their general education. Graduation levels of all student-athletes have been reported as low as 15 per cent in some areas of America to below 30 per cent in others, compared with the overall student body. This has been graphically described as ‘the jock trap’ – the situation in which many student-athletes leave college without an adequate education to fit them for a career outside sport.”

“Life after sport?  Counseling Professional Athletes Facing Retirement”, Istadia.com.  Date of access 11/14/09 http://istadia.com/article/peterdanton/110  


LIFE AFTER SPORTS; Magic Johnson's success inspires other athletes.

The Washington Times | April 4, 2004 |
Byline: Eric Fisher

“Earvin "Magic" Johnson did it all on the basketball court: college champion, NBA champion, Olympic champion, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. But now it is Johnson's spectacular performance in the business world that inspires professional athletes. His success in establishing businesses in inner cities - and the relentless energy and charisma he uses in recruiting like-minded investors - has persuaded other athletes to embrace the Magic formula.”

Fisher, Eric, The Washington Times, April 4, 2004, “Life After Sports: Magic Johnson’s success inspires other athletes”., encyclopedia.com, Date of access 11/14/09 http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-114928620.html


O' Brien 'Bears' life after draft
By Dan Worthington

"You have to be fine with God's will. Football is just a game. It's not life. If you treat it like life‚ then once you end football you are dead. That is not my life. God is my life."  - Dan O’Brien

Worthington, Dan,” O’Brien ‘Bears’ life after draft”, 4/28/04,Western Courier.com, Date of access 11/14/09 http://media.www.westerncourier.com/media/storage/paper650/news/2004/04/28/Sports/O.Brien.bears.Life.After.Draft-673963.shtml


Miller 'turned to drugs after sport'
Josh Jerga

“When Olympian Scott Miller's swimming career ended he was left with nowhere to go, having not prepared for life after elite sport.   So he turned to a life of drug-fuelled partying which saw him smoking marijuana daily and popping ecstasy pills when out with friends.”

Jerga, Josh, “Miller ‘turned to drugs after sport’”, August 28, 2009, WA Today, watoday.com, Date of access 11/14/09 http://www.watoday.com.au/breaking-news-national/miller-turned-to-drugs-after-sport-20090828-f215.html


After the Whistle: Games – Sometimes we forget sports are...
By Eric Frantz, Managing Editor, efrantz@bucknuts.com

“The outcomes of sporting events don’t rank anywhere near the outcome of actual existence, but they do register in importance….The ultimate goal of anyone is to better their own life and that of those around them – family, friends, co-workers, community, etc….Not everyone gets this. Or practices it. Or believes it."

Frantz, Eric, “After the Whistle: Games – Sometimes we forget sports are…”.Bucknuts.com, Managing Editor Eric Frantz, Posted 9/18/09, Date of access 11/13/2009  http://www.jjhuddle.com/news/articles/2009/9/18/after-the-whistle-games-sometimes-we-forget-sports-are-  


SECOND ACTS
Life After Sports
JOEL SAGET

“While many people may remember Manute Bol as a basketball player, it is his post-NBA career as an activist for the embattled Sudan region that has won Bol his greatest plaudits.”

“Call him the Terminator, call him the Governator, just don't call him a loser: This former Mr. Universe…After winning numerous bodybuilding titles, Schwarzenegger successfully conquered Hollywood, starring in the Terminator series among other films.”

“After a 12 year baseball career that included three All-Star selections, a Cy Young award,…former pitcher Jack McDowell devoted all of his energy to his true love: music. His rock band Stickfigure was formed in 1992 and released four albums between 1995 and 2003.”

“…former Washington Redskins quarterback Heath Shuler Shuler was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November, 2006…Shuler's campaign focused on improving education standards, increasing the availability of health care, and developing an alternative strategy for the long-term future of Iraq.”

(Mia) “Hamm retired from soccer in 2004 after 17 years, two World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals, countless MVP awards, and numerous personal accolades….In a fitting tribute, Nike named a building on its corporate campus after Hamm. In her post-athletic career…pledged to form…The Mia Hamm Foundation is focused on raising funds and awareness for bone marrow transplant patients and continuing to nurture the opportunities of young women to participate in sports.”

“Adrian who, you say? Although Adrian McBride didn't earn fame and fortune during his two seasons in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and St. Louis Cardinals, he gained something far more valuable: the knowledge that sometimes a backup plan is necessary. In 1988, McBride began consulting in the recruitment, transition, and career-placement business. In 2002 he began mentoring athletes on the sometimes-tumultuous transition from professional sports to the real world. Today, Adrian offers similar transition counseling to current and former student-athletes with his company, Life After Sports.”

Saget, Joel, Second Acts, “Life After Sports”, Businessweek.com, Date of access 11/14/09 http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/01/0130_lifeafter_sports/index_01.htm


Michael Jordan: Life After Sports
By Kevin Doyle & Ian Armitage

“What do athletes do when they retire? Some use their sporting prowess as a stepping stone to a high-profile second career. Others fall into depression and despair...”

Doyle K., Armitage I., “Michael Jordan: Life After Sports”, Execdigital.com, 11/13/2009.  Date accessed 11/14/09  http://www.execdigital.com/Michael-Jordan--Life-After-Sports_37832.aspx


Hall-bound Yzerman talks about life after the ice
BY HELENE ST. JAMES?FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Steve Yzerman was drafted by the Red Wings fourth overall in 1983, debuted for them that autumn, and 22 seasons later finished his playing career as an icon.

Q: If hockey hadn’t worked out, what would you have done?
A: There wasn’t a Plan B. It’s all I wanted to be. I never thought about anything else…

St. James, Helen, “Hall-bound Yzerman talks about life after the ice”, Freep.com.  Date accessed: 11/14/09
http://www.freep.com/article/20091108/SPORTS05/91108003/1319/Hall-bound-Yzerman-talks-about-life-after-the-ice