It Is Okay To Quit

Whether it's by choice or God's plan, quitting the game you love more than anything in the world is okay. It's hard, it's painful, it's something no one ever expects, but sometimes you're just done.

Division III athletes don't play a sport because they get money from the school, they play a sport in college because they love the game. They give up hours, days, weeks, months of their time to devote so much energy into a sport, when the college they go to gives them no money for it. All the money they receive to go to whatever college they choose is from academics, they don't get a penny for continuing to play, they play cause it's all they've ever known. I am one of those Division III athletes, I play soccer for the LaGrange Panthers. I play because I love the game, it's all I've ever known. I can't remember a day in my life since I was 12 years old, when I started playing competitively, that I wasn't doing something related to the worlds greatest game. I realize at some point after playing soccer for over 14 years, my time will come to turn in the boots and put down my gloves. Unfortunately that time may come sooner than I ever expected.

There are thousands of athletes across the country who just burn out of their sport, who say that they're just done and that they can't do it anymore. There are athletes who decide that they want to focus on their school work, focus on Greek life, focus on something other than the sport they love. There are athletes who get hurt and can't play the game they love again. Of course, there's some athletes who just fall out of love with their sport. At some point in every athletes life they step off the game field one last time, and that's okay.

A common thing athletes are told is that "don't quit" or "don't give up", when we train, when we play, when we're in games, when we're practicing, I've been told that more times than I can count. It's okay to give up. It's okay to walk away. It's okay to say that you've had enough. It's okay to focus on something else. Athletes have always been told to give "110% all the time", doesn't that apply when they aren't athletes anymore? It's okay to fall in love with something other than your sport, but if you fall in love with something else then give it all you got.

If you're a Division I, II, III, Juco, whatever athlete you are, realize that it's okay if you're done. Don't let anyone tell you that it's not okay. Don't let anyone stop you when you decided that you're ready to do something else. It is okay to quit.