One athlete, former jockey AP McCoy said earlier this year, is the only person to have died twice, such as the pain of walking away from the heady and draining nature of professional sport.
McCoy retired from his long and distinguished racing career in 2015, and has since had to learn, in his own words, how to “start over and have another life”.
Based on the past 12 months, there are several high-profile sports stars who might take a closer look at McCoy’s retirement experience – or even others who have spoken candidly about the difficulty of ending a successful sports career.
Among them is Roger Federer, who ended his trophy-laden tennis career at the Laver Cup in September after years trying to recover from two knee surgeries.
In the letter announcing his retirement, Federer, like McCoy, touched on the emotions running high as a professional athlete and how they made saying goodbye so difficult.
“I have laughed and cried, felt ups and downs and most importantly I feel so alive,” Federer wrote. “For the game of tennis,” he signed the letter, “I love you and will never leave you.”
Those last words were reassuring to fans who have admired Federer’s career for years, but also spoke to another issue: namely, how difficult it will be to leave professional sport after retirement.
It remains to be seen exactly how Federer will remain involved in tennis going forward, and the same can be said of Serena Williams, who announced she would “evolve from tennis” ahead of this year’s US Open – but declined to say she would retire. .
On several occasions over the last three months, the 23-time grand slam champion has even teased fans about a potential return to tennis.
While Federer and Williams have walked away from their careers as two of the greatest athletes of all time, other sports stars can’t seem to decide when, or how, to leave.
Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury has been in and out of retirement this year, saying in October that he was finding it “really hard to let this thing go.”
And earlier this year, Tom Brady announced he would be retiring from the NFL, leaving the sport as a seven-time Super Bowl champion and arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. the 45-year-old later overturned that decision and still broke records with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his 23rd season in the NFL.
But in September, Brady and Gisele Bündchen announced they were divorcing after 13 years of marriage.
“I think there are a lot of professionals in life who go through things that they deal with at work and they deal with at home,” the Bucs quarterback said on his weekly podcast days after the couple’s announcement of their divorce.
“Obviously the good news is that the situation is very friendly, and I am really focused on two things: taking care of my family, and of course my children, and secondly doing the best job I can to win football games. That’s what professionals do.”
Brady has redefined what most believe is the average shelf life of an athlete, and he’s not the only person who refuses to let the light shine on his career.
LeBron James is turning 38 but still setting records in the NBA – in February passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most regular season and postseason points in NBA history.
Federer rivals Rafael Nadal, 36, and Novak Djokovic, 35, meanwhile, have added to their grand slam tally this year – the Mallorcan at the Australian and French Opens, where he became the oldest men’s singles champion, and the Serb at Wimbledon. Djokovic’s win at Wimbledon kept him one grand slam title short of Nadal’s record 22 men’s titles.
After being deported from Australia due to his vaccination status earlier in the year, Djokovic is set to compete at the Australian Open in early 2023 – a tournament he has won on nine previous occasions and is the favorite to win again next year outside Australia. behind his recent ATP Finals victory.
For Nadal, his future in the sport hinges on how much stress his injury-plagued body can continue to endure.
In golf, Tiger Woods faces similar questions. The 15-time major champion completed a stunning return from a serious foot injury he suffered in a car crash at this year’s Masters, hitting an incredible one-under 71 at Augusta National before qualifying the next day.
Then there’s sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who turns 36 later this month but shows no signs of slowing down. The Jamaican produced a series of consistently fast performances this year, running under 10.7 seconds for the 100 meters a record seven times and capturing his fifth long-distance world title in July.
And it’s not just athletes who are defying retirement calls this year. In November, 73-year-old Dusty Baker became the oldest manager to win a World Series when he led the Houston Astros to a 4-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Many of the athletes making headlines in 2022 have done so for years.
No one is sure where the aging Cristiano Ronaldo will play his club football in January after ending his second spell at Manchester United in humiliating fashion, but the 37-year-old still seems keen to extend his playing career after Portugal’s quarter-final exit. World Cup.
His rival Lionel Messi, meanwhile, ended the year on a sensational note, guiding Argentina to a third World Cup trophy. The 35-year-old Messi scored twice in an exciting final against France and eventually earned his fifth World Cup, staking his claim to be the greatest player the game has ever seen.
That isn’t the only recent example of an established superstar’s trophy winning streak. In last season’s NBA Finals, Steph Curry guided the Golden State Warriors to a fourth championship in eight seasons – in the process of earning his first Finals MVP award as the Warriors beat the Boston Celtics.
Meanwhile, in baseball, Aaron Judge has enjoyed seasons for the ages. The 30-year-old outfielder, who reportedly just signed a nine-year, $360 million contract with the New York Yankees, hit 62 home runs last season, breaking Roger Maris’s single-season home run record from 1961.
On Wednesday, the Yankees named Judge, the reigning AL MVP, as the 16th captain in franchise history.
But while familiar faces continue to shine, the past year has also seen stars of tomorrow emerge.
19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz ended the year as the youngest No. 1 in men’s tennis history after winning the US Open, and in the women’s event, Iga Swiatek, who rose to world No. 1 after Ashleigh Barty’s decision to retire after winning the Australian Open, looks set to dominate in the coming years.
This year, the 21-year-old Swiatek won her second grand slam title at the French Open – which came in the midst of a 37-match winning streak – and her third at the US Open.
In Formula One, Max Verstappen cemented his place as the best driver in the sport, comfortably defending his world title with four races remaining, while Erling Haaland, considered one of the best strikers in European football, has scored goals at record-breaking rates during the last season. his first at Manchester City.
At the Winter Olympics in Beijing, 18-year-old freestyle skier Eileen Gu stole the headlines, winning two gold and one silver medals for the host nation; he also became the first freestyle skier to earn three medals at a single Olympics.
Another teenager, figure skater Kamila Valieva, had a memorable Match for many reasons. The 16-year-old tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart drug, in December 2021, but the results weren’t revealed until Valieva was already in Beijing and won gold in the team figure skating event.
In that competition, she became the first woman to land a quadruple jump – which involves four mid-air loops – at the Winter Olympics.
The results of the positive test are still unresolved, and in November, the World Anti-Doping Agency referred Valieva’s case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after finding that the Russian Anti-Doping Agency was not making progress.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has overshadowed much of this year’s sporting calendar.
Athletes and teams from Russia and Belarus have been banned from competing in various sports, including qualifying matches for this year’s World Cup and participation in Wimbledon.
The decision from Wimbledon was perhaps the strongest stance taken by a sporting organization, resulting in the ATP and WTA Tours removing ranking points from this year’s tournament.
At the start of the war, many Ukrainian athletes – such as skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych and MMA fighter Yaroslav Amosov – chose to put their careers on hold and support the country’s military endeavours.
Boxer Oleksandr Usyk also speaks passionately about serving his country, and in the ring has extended his unbeaten streak, defeating Anthony Joshua in August to retain the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles.
Throughout 2022, sport and geopolitics are closely intertwined. This month, WNBA star Brittney Griner returned to the US after being detained in Russia for nearly 10 months on drug-trafficking charges.
Despite his testimony that he accidentally packed cannabis oil found in his suitcase, Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison in early August and transferred to a penal colony in the republic of Mordovia in mid-November after losing his appeal.
The 32-year-old’s arrest in Russia sparked a diplomatic drama between the US and the Kremlin that coincided with Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He was freed in a prisoner exchange involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. That exchange, however, did not include another American the State Department said was illegally detained, Paul Whelan.
Perhaps no sport has been gripped by internal politics this year as much as golf, which was rocked by the launch of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series in June.
LIV Golf has been criticized by some of the game’s leading players – including Woods and Rory McIlroy – while others – major champions Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson – have left the PGA Tour in favor of lucrative breakaway series.
It has divided the sport. Earlier this year, LIV Golf joined an antitrust lawsuit alongside several of its players, alleging that the PGA Tour had threatened to impose a lifetime ban on players participating in the LIV Golf series.
The lawsuit also alleges that the PGA Tour has threatened sponsors, vendors, and agents to force players to forgo opportunities to play at LIV Golf events.
The PGA Tour filed a countersuit in late September, claiming “tortious interference with the Tour’s contracts with its members”.
The LIV Golf series is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) – a sovereign wealth fund chaired by Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and the man US intelligence reports say is responsible for approving the operations leading to the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Bin Salman has denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s killing.
The launch of LIV Golf is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader ambition to host and invest in global sporting events. This year, they had a rematch between Usyk and Joshua and even won the bid to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
But without a doubt, the most prominent sporting event held in the Gulf region this year is the World Cup in Qatar.
The four-week tournament came to a thrilling end on Sunday as Argentina lifted the trophy, closing the curtain on what FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the greatest World Cup of all time.
There were disappointments, high-scoring play and brilliant goals throughout – until Sunday’s clash when Messi reigned supreme and Kylian Mbappé scored a stunning hat-trick in defeat.
It is the first time a country in the Middle East has hosted the World Cup, and Qatar, with a population of just three million people, is investing billions of dollars building seven new stadiums, as well as a new hotel and expansion of the country’s stadiums. airports, rail and road networks.
The tournament was also rife with controversy, particularly over accusations surrounding its poor human rights record and treatment of migrant workers.
Since 2010, many migrant workers in Qatar have faced delayed or unpaid wages, forced labor, long hours in hot weather, intimidation by employers, and the inability to leave their jobs due to the state sponsorship system, human rights organizations have found.
In the face of such criticism, Qatar maintains it is an open and tolerant country and sees the World Cup as a vehicle to accelerate labor reforms.
Elsewhere in international football, England won the Women’s European Championship for the first time in front of record home crowds, while Senegal claimed the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in February, also for the first time.
Outside of international competition, Real Madrid won a 14th European crown by beating Liverpool in the Champions League final – a match marred by security concerns.
The game itself was postponed for more than 35 minutes after Liverpool fans fought their way into the Stade de France and tear gas was used by French police on supporters who were being held in a crowded area.
Paris police chief Didier Lallement admitted in June that the chaos had been “a clear failure” and said he had “total responsibility for police management” of the incident.
Tragically, football has seen many serious stadium disasters this year. In October, more than 130 people died in a stampede in the Indonesian city of Malang – one of the world’s deadliest stadium disasters of all time.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo later said the country would demolish and rebuild the stadium, vowing to “completely change” the sport in this football-mad nation.
The demolition of a stadium in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé during this year’s AFCON also left at least eight people dead and 38 injured during a match between Cameroon and Comoros.
Looking ahead to 2023, Australia and New Zealand are scheduled to host the Women’s World Cup in July and August.
The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) could become the first team to win the tournament three times in a row.
This year, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the USWNT Players Association (USWNTPA), and the United States National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA) struck a landmark equal pay agreement – the first federation in the world to equalize prize money awarded to teams. to participate in the World Cup.
Next year will be the first time the USWNT will play a major tournament under such a deal.
Among other major sporting events held next year are the World Championships in Athletics in Budapest, Hungary, and the Rugby World Cup in France.
In the NFL, Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona is just weeks away, while the NBA Playoffs begin two months later in April.
With the men’s World Cup over, club football resumes in Europe and the year’s first tennis grand slam, the Australian Open, kicks off on January 16.
For sports fans, hopefully this will be the tonic to stave off the January blues.
What are some current events in 2022?
Armed conflicts and attacks To see also : In Battle for Young Audiences, ‘Today’ Aims to Steal Fans from Lifestyle Magazines (EXCLUSIVE).
- 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Odessa bombing in 2022. …
- Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed while covering the raids in Jenin. …
- Rebellion in the Maghreb. …
- Somali Civil War. …
- the Boko Haram insurgency. …
- the Sinai rebellion.
What happened on September 2nd 2022?
National day on Friday 2 Sept 2022. This may interest you : Travel checklist for the summer of 2022: 8 must-haves for fun and safe travel. Explore events, festivals, funny, wacky and national days around the world on this day! It’s World Coconut Day, National College Color Day, National Lazy Mother’s Day, Calendar Adjustment Day, National V-J Day… and so much more!
What happened during September 2022? Ukrainian government confirms discovery of 440 bodies in unmarked graves Official Minister of Economy, Amadou Ba Appointed Prime Minister by the President of Senegal. Dozens Injured In Protests In Iran, After Mahsa Amini Died In Iranian Police Custody. Covid Quarantine Bus Accident Resulting in the Death of 27 People.
What happened on September 2nd?
This Day in History: September 2 On this day in 1666, the Great Fire of London started accidentally in the king’s baker’s house; it burned for four days and destroyed much of the city, including the Old St. On the same subject : The richest sports team owners in the 2022 Forbes 400. Peter’s Cathedral. Paul and about 13,000 homes.
What national day is it September 2?
September 2, 2022 – NATIONAL V-J DAY â NATIONAL COLLEGE DAY â NATIONAL FOOD BANK DAY â NATIONAL LAZY MOTHER DAY â NATIONAL BLUEBERRY POPSIKE DAY â NATIONAL CHIANTI DAY.
What is happening in September 2 2022?
National day on Friday 2 Sept 2022. Explore events, festivals, funny, wacky and national days around the world on this day! It’s World Coconut Day, National College Color Day, National Lazy Mother Day, Calendar Adjustment Day, National V-J Day… and many more!
What is a soft news story?
Communication from soft media sources is referred to as soft news as a way of distinguishing it from serious journalism, which is called hard news. Soft news is defined as information that is primarily entertaining or personally useful.
Which is an example of soft news? Soft news includes sports journalism, entertainment journalism and celebrity coverage.
How do you write a soft news story?
Start by asking yourself what someone who is not knowledgeable about your topic would need to know, and be sure to include that information. Make sure everything in your story is completely factual, but don’t be afraid to use anecdotes, find unique angles to highlight and include details that bring your story to life.
What is soft news and hard news?
Hard news generally concerns issues, politics, economics, international relations, welfare, and scientific developments, whereas soft news focuses on humanitarian and celebrity stories.
