That's it. You worked hard your whole life to get to the level of skill you then possessed, but it was time to move on to new things. If you're anything like me, you played a sport since you were about 5 years old, whether it be recreational, travel, or school sports; and when you got to college, you thought to yourself, "Yeah I'm an alright player, but will I be able to handle spending so much time at practices and games while I'm trying to get an education in college?", and you chose to stop that activity that has been a huge component of your life. Here are just a few ways I view life after sports:
You feel like a part of you is missing.
When you're used to having constant practices, tournaments, and games that took up all your spare time, it automatically feels like there's a huge gap in your life.
You realize how easy it is to get out of shape.
When you finally stop all the sport activities, you no longer have mandatory conditioning or practices that keep you in shape. You are now on your own to get your butt to the gym or go for a run.
You really want to play again to see if you've lost your touch.
Even if it's just a pick-up game with your friends, you need to know.
Then you really regret suggesting a pick-up game because now you can barely breathe.
It has been way too long, and you are tired.
You miss not having to go to a gym for all your workouts.
It was so much more fun to be on a field/court etc. and playing a game then running on the treadmill...
You miss the close knit group of friends.
Your teammates were great friends, and it's harder to keep in touch with them outside of the sport itself.
The pasta parties.
Yeah this one speaks for itself.
The sport itself.
You genuinely loved this sport and you miss it so much. It had been some of the best years of your life.
But it's okay, life after sports isn't all too bad. As we get older, our priorities change, but these sports will always hold a huge part of our heart.
