A few weeks ago, football player Andrew Luck announced his retirement. He is young, and he was a highly regarded player. Basically, he felt the injuries his body has already sustained are making the rest of his life difficult to manage, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Whatever.
What did, and continues to amaze me is the varied reactions to this decision. Some Indianapolis Colts season ticket holders wanted their money back. The rationalization was that Luck was prominently displayed on all the season ticket promo stuff. First off- really? I know that no star player ever gets hurt and needs to miss a game, season or career….right? Who you start with at the beginning of the season is clearly who you end up with at the end…
Other people began calling Luck various derogatory names. They thought his choice to retire before he was 30 was a complete wimp move. It doesn’t matter how Luck felt, and feels, the only thing that matters is “manning” up and continuing playing till he’s completely broken.
Why would anyone do this? Why would anyone question why someone does, or does not want to continue in a job?
Last week I spoke of giving up, and yesterday I spoke of people wanting others to fail, or expecting people to behave in a specific way. This story kind of embodies all of that. Here’s a man who chose not to quit, but to retire because the path he had been on was no longer the right one. Then you have the people calling him a quitter.
Did he quit?
Did he choose another path?
Does it matter?
Is it anyone’s business other than his own?
As a friend of mine so astutely put it on Facebook, if Luck had committed suicide, people all over would be asking “Why didn’t he reach out for help?” Yet, here he was, not really asking for help, but clearly taking stock of his personal positives and negatives and making a decision about his physical and mental health, and he was booed. Booed. Criticized. The butt of jokes which weren’t particularly funny.
Why are we so quick to criticize others? Shouldn’t we be paying more attention to ourselves?
Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50 
Good post. It is always wise to look at our own flaws rather than point out the shortcomings of others. 🤗
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Exactly
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I just wrote on this exact topic about my athlete girl. Huh.
He didn’t quit. He’s smart enough to listen to his body. The peeps who label him with derogatory names are a bunch of asswipes.
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Right? I just don’t get it. He’s suffered a lot of injuries and he’s in pain. It’s affecting every aspect of his life. Maybe he’ll take up another sport, or be equally great at something else
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Or not a sport. Something else. Sheesh. People are not defined by their sporty abilities alone…
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Omg that’s a whole blog right there…..
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Perfect example, LA. Well said.
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Thank you
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You are correct! It is his choice and no one else is involved. I think we look at other’s flaws when they begin to impede our progress: in other words, when their choices step on our feet and get in our way in significant ways…that is when we wonder why they can’t see their flaws. And some of us are much too hard on who we are and it is only with time, we learn more than one party is at fault. It is a difficult world we live in and the best we can do is focus and move on.
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Well said! Look at ourselves before we throw someone else under the bus
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Yes, and if someone is making 3 figures or more…and we haven’t we can assume the pressure is way intense. They have learned to navigate different areas. We can respect but we still don’t always “get” why they do the things they do.
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Exactly.
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Some people believe everything is about them…seriously. The world is theirs and when something occurs in their world they take it personally. I think it’s sort of an ego thing, like how dare someone make a rational choice for themselves because it does nothing to build up the egocentric person. I always think of online trolls who absolutely must find negatives and comment accordingly. I wonder if a person like this actually gets a rush (maybe endorphins) that give them a literal high– a good feeling about themselves for even a moment. Sort of an addiction…??
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I think you’re onto something. It is an addiction…the constant need to belittle others and judge on a non arbitrary stand point….
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Very well said.
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It seems to me that we have this concept that we somehow have ownership over public figures. And because of this, everything gets taken so damn personally.
In the case of Luck, if he wasn’t who he is, nobody would give a damn that he’s leaving.
And why aren’t we saying things like, Good for him, he’s taking good care of himself. or Better to leave them wanting more. or Getting out when you’re on top. or anything of the like.
I’m over here like, I seriously could not care less about what this guy does, but if he’s content in his life, go him.
People need to get over themselves. Folks need to live their own damn lives and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.
(insert eye roll)
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That’s just it! Why do we get so nuts about what other people do or don’t do?
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Especially when it’s none of our damn business!
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Some sports fans take things a little too seriously, it seems. With all the health issues that are showing up in later years for football players, we may be seeing these early retirements more and more often!
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It’s probably the right way to go! It’s ok to care about your health, physical and mental
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AMEN! You are so right! Why are we??? We act like we can totally identify with the person and know what’s best for them, when if you aren’t walking in their shoes, you don’t know!
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Exactly! He knows what’s best for him and his family. No one else does!
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❤
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I suppose he felt an obligation to explain but as you implied i think, it is his life and his choice. Many athletes, imo mostly men athletes hide pain from injuries. I like his choice to move forward and i suspect he has talents and abilities besides football. Perhaps another sport? Remember Michael Jordan also played baseball.
The real question is whether or not the public should have an opinion, as a publuc entertainment person i suppose so, but in a minor way such as we do about the weather.
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It’s ok to have an opinion, but to treat him with the disrespect that they did is just horrible. No one should treat anyone like that
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Great post again, LA. I don’t know why we think we have some sort of ownership of public figures/famous people just because we see and hear so much about them. I applaud Mr. Luck for having the courage to walk away before something really bad happened to him.
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That’s how I feel. He played to the best of his ability, and he knows its time to try something else.
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Forgive me, but those fans are fools. For one thing, it’s the Indianapolis Colts. not the Indianapolis Lucks. Educated consumers understand the implicit risk in buying tickets/cable packages and licensed merchandise. So, pardon the pun but tough luck.
As for the young man, good for him in getting out. We have no idea what he went through in coming back time after time from his assorted injuries. We have no idea how his body felt when he woke up in the morning. So yeah, leave with your body and your spirit intact. He’s got his money and most importantly, his health.
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That’s just it. He knows his physical limits. He should be applauded for taking care of himself
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I think so. And I hope he doesn’t get the itch to return like many players do. He seems like a smart fella. Better to travel the world than to go back, I say.
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It is really kind of simple. The world is full of a**holes and they tend to be the loudest.
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So true
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Great analogy question. Who is anyone else to judge? We’re not invulnerable nor immortal, after all.
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He’s a smart guy. Went to Stanford, and must have weighed the pros and cons before he decided to retire. I give him a lot of credit. You have to be nuts to play in the NFL today with all the illegal head hits.
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Definitely better to walk away on his own terms. The fans don’t care one iota about him only if their team wins or loses. Good for him.
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Cheers to that
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Sports have become ridiculous. It’s win at all costs. His critics are probably just a bunch of fat guys with nothing else in their lives. Get a life!! That’s what Luck’s doing.
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Exactly
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