[2BNTV]

Originally Posted by eweissenbach

Being a former athlete (not elite) and coach, I have done a lot of reading on this subject. Elite athletes make a lot of sacrifices to get to the top, including, in many cases, bad nutrition in an effort to gain weight and/or strength. Many of them also have abused steroids and drugs in an effort to gain an edge. They also suffer from depression at a higher rate than the average population, probably due largely to the comedown from being an icon to being just another citizen.

Now football is a story unto itself. All of the other factors affect former football players PLUS the unbeleiveable damage done to their bodies as the result of the collisions they are involved in regularly. Few football players come through their career without multiple concussions, not to mention broken bones, torn ligaments, compressed disks etc. The toll on the human body through football is something that we were simply not built to endure. The suicide rate among former football and hockey players (another group who take a brutal beating) is several times higher than the public as a whole. There was an interesting article on the 86 Cincinnati Bengals in Sports Illustrated a couple weeks ago, which outlined the medical issues they had dealt with over the last 25 years. While most had suffered multiple problems, surgeries, etc. almost all felt it was worth it and they would do it over again knowing what they know.

Well said and thoughtful post.

I would like to add that a majority of athelets don't have a long playing career and have to start another career when in their late twenties or thirties. Some athletes only know playing their sport as they have been doing that all their lives. It is a very hard reality for most of them and most miss the limelight of being a celebrity.