Quote (Moojilsuh @ 13 Jul 2013 06:19)
very good question nick. I think there is a happy medium between the 2. Take soccer for example. You usually hit your "prime" at the age of 23-24 but you don't see many people retiring at such a young age. If you look at EPL, they pick up the good ones at a very young age and once they get older and start seeing that they can't keep up they usually take their talent to the MLS where the talent isn't as good. Beckham, Hienry to name a few. I think many pro athletes know when it is time to retire I don't think and it is usually on their decline of their career, not at the top of their game. Also how can you judge the "top" of your game. If you have an excellent season and a bad one the next did you already hit the top of your game and the rest is on the decline? You can't really answer that until a few more seasons down the road and then by that time they decide to retire. If you are a true team player then you take a look at yourself and say, and I hurting or helping the team while I play? If you are just hurting your team it is time to hang up your cleats. If you are still helping them then stick around but you will slowly dwindle out.
It is extremely hard to give up on something that you have dedicated your whole life to. When I finished college I was getting better each year, got invited to go to the MLS combine, but turned it down because I was ultimately burned out at the time. Now that I look back on it I wish I would have went to just see what would have happened. I think I "retired" too early. My senior year I led the team in goals and points and I wonder what I could have done if I continued to train for the next level.
All in all Nick, get back out there and play! You might be old but you are only getting older and older!
Gonna go ahead and say this they went for the money nothing else