Open Mic: How Long Should Athletes Hang On?

Quick, what's wrong with that picture? Well for one, that's Christian Laettner in the background, and I still hate his guts. But that's a different story. No, the problem is that the greatest basketball player ever is in the uniform of the Washington Wizards, nee Bullets. I'll admit it; I was sad the first time Jordan retired. He was just over 30-years old and quite obviously had some great basketball still left in him. But he cited a loss of desire to play the game, which we as fans have to respect. It's not our place to force somebody to do something that they get no joy out of. His retirement after the 1998 season probably should have stuck. He was 36 and had six rings. His Game Six performance against Utah in the Finals remains one of the most impressive postseason performances ever. He could have gone out on top like John Elway, never looked back, and everybody would have been satisfied. We all know how the story ends. There was no dramatic ride into the sunset. Rather, there was an ... [link]