Blind

comment by The Mane Man - PL CHAMPIONS (U19731)
posted 9 minutes ago
Some people don't have a wife and children.
Not everyone has the same outlook on life like others have. For some people it is their passion and they will die for it.
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I did not just say wife and kids. You selectively missed our the other family members I put to suit your agenda. As human beings we can find new passions. Like I have said, there are some that would take the 10 years and that's their prerogative.

Comment Deleted by Site Moderator

comment by *GTWI4T- some people deserve to get trolled (U6008)
posted 6 minutes ago
Christ, an example is all around us in football, within which retired players struggle massively with depression and other mental health issues that can ultimately and tragically end in suicide. Because they lose their purpose in life. And that's having had a full career.

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Any examples? Gary Speed isn't one. And you listen to most retired footballers and the football very often isn't what is missed, it is being in and around the changing room and part of a team. And also you are talking about mental health, someone being unwell which shouldn't really be taken into account when you're talking about the question you originally asked.
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So you're suggesting the underlying mental health issue was present prior to the circumstances (i.e. retirement)? I would say, in many cases, the MH issue was caused by the circumstances.

And the passion (football) is not restricted to the physical activity of kicking the ball; it encompasses everything to do with football. Be that the people, ecology, sense of being part of a team, etc. it all falls under the same passion.

Also, insofar as examples are concerned:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/42871491

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-01/former-athletes-on-depression-joblessness-after-elite-sport/8482282

http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/mind-body-and-sport-suicidal-tendencies

and if you're up for a big read:

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/37319056.pdf

And don't forget that these are athletes who have had full careers that have come to an end after the passage of time.

Now, if you presented to them the hypothetical choice at that point "okay, you can have 10 more years of playing XYZ or 50 more years but never play again", I wager many of them would choose the former.

Again, not me or you, but some. As I say, passion is a variable term and can transcend labels like "sport" or "art" for certain people.

comment by rooney_hernandez (U7012)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by *GTWI4T- some people deserve to get trolled (U6008)
posted 6 minutes ago
Christ, an example is all around us in football, within which retired players struggle massively with depression and other mental health issues that can ultimately and tragically end in suicide. Because they lose their purpose in life. And that's having had a full career.

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Any examples? Gary Speed isn't one. And you listen to most retired footballers and the football very often isn't what is missed, it is being in and around the changing room and part of a team. And also you are talking about mental health, someone being unwell which shouldn't really be taken into account when you're talking about the question you originally asked.
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So you're suggesting the underlying mental health issue was present prior to the circumstances (i.e. retirement)? I would say, in many cases, the MH issue was caused by the circumstances.

And the passion (football) is not restricted to the physical activity of kicking the ball; it encompasses everything to do with football. Be that the people, ecology, sense of being part of a team, etc. it all falls under the same passion.

Also, insofar as examples are concerned:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/42871491
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Most studies show depression and suicidal tendencies following retirement from a sporting career is more to do with a lack of structure and routine in life following retirement.

Which makes sense, these guys have been in football from childhood, they’re told what to wear, when to turn up, when to go home, when to eat, etc etc.

comment by rooney_hernandez (U7012)
posted 46 minutes ago
I doubt there is even a % of people who would choose kicking a ball for 10 years over being there for and with family, friends, loved ones for 50 years. And if anyone did choose that, then I'd suggest they are in need of help.
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I think you're underestimating how seriously some people regard their respective passions. For some, a legacy is timeless, where a life is finite.

However trivial it may seem to you, people quite literally give their lives for their arts, crafts, ambitions, and passions all the time. I can think of a few who'd gladly take the 10 years and be able to play their guitar than 50 years without, for example.

As I say, not all people - not close to all people - but some. You also have to consider that not everyone has family, friends, loved ones, unfortunately.
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I think the number that would choose that path would be tiny, like 1 in a 1000. He can still be involved in the game in many many different ways and can kick a ball as much as he wants in the yard, he just needs to stop playing at the intense level and after 20 plus years of his life that will be a very easy decision if he has to make it.

Erm, for 50 years obviously. You're talking about playing football here. There is a lot more to life.

......

You are spot on. Saying that it took me 40 years to figure that out.

Completely agree it'd be a tiny proportion - not unlike 1 in a 1,000 or less - but I'm saying that these types exist in all walks of life, not just football.

We hear all too often about fans taking - or attempting to take - lives over football, and simultaneously risking their own life (or the liberty thereof) through stabbings and fights etc.

Glad to see he's well.

For his sake, I hope he retires and I'm sure that Ajax will find him role within the club.