The Chosen Ones’ Choices

What a world we have created!

Millions of us around the world tune into various sporting events and marvel at the athletes performing at the highest level, often representing our nations.

Most have made immense sacrifices along the way. They have been unable to go out on Saturday nights with friends because they are in training and it would not look right. They miss family birthdays, weddings, even funerals at times because they are competing. Almost everyone of them would tell you that it was worth it when they make it to the top.

However, what few fans realise is that it is only a small percentage that make the sort of money that will see them set up for life when they retire. In fact as little as 2% it has been estimated will earn enough to never have to work again. Some if they are clever, and have good management will invest what they earn wisely, and will have a nest-egg for when that day comes, and hopefully will be able to have an easier life post competition than many of us.

There is a myth that an Olympic Medal will change your life. It will bring you fame and fortune. Once again only the very few manage to cash in on Olympic Glory and they tend to be athletes who come from the United States where their face can influence a vast population. Occasionally, when a small nation wins a rare medal that individual may benefit; but being a smaller nation the rewards may not be anywhere near as a great as in a larger country with more commercial clout.

Of course it is not just Olympic sports where this is the case. County, Provincial and State cricketers are receiving far better pay than they did 30 years ago, but they will still not earn enough to retire completely when they stop playing professionally. Whereas the story is different for those who secure a centralised contract with the national team. That is one of the reasons why our international teams are now referred to as “the Greatest Club” to play for. It is also why so many players opt not to retire graciously, and hang on until the very last minute. For very few it is a love of the game, for the majority it is the money, and the adoration.

It is interesting how often sport is referred to as “a religion.” It is a valid comparison when one considers that athletes become rightly or wrongly “Gods” to the adoring masses. A mantle that is very uncomfortable for many it has to be said. Those masses are frequently referenced as “followers,” just as those who believe in a certain faith are called.

Sport is also in line with the Christian verse from the Book of Matthew Chapter 22 verse 14 where it says “many are called, but few are chosen.”

Many aspire to make it in sport, but few are chosen to play at the highest level.

What is interesting is the verse comes from the Parable of the Wedding. The “called” in this text is an invitation, as it is many times in the Christian Bible. It is an invitation to something more than a life lived serving only ourselves. It is an invitation to serve God.

Is not “the calling” to athletes also an invitation? An invitation to serve your country, represent it, and make it’s people proud? Sure, there are personal rewards but the invitation from those who extend it is on a certain level very similar.

Just as in the Bible, in sport the choice is ultimately down to the individual. Whether they want to make the sacrifices that are required, to live such a life.

The “chosen” in this text from the Bible are those who accept the invitation, and then do what is necessary. As one religious expert put it “those who are chosen are those who wholeheartedly accept the invitation and its conditions.” Aren’t the athletes that are “chosen” doing the exact same thing?

The reason that “few are chosen” is the same in religious circles as it is in sporting ones. It is hard to give up everything for a belief, or a dream.

There have been many athletes who have opted not to pursue a life playing at the highest level, and for various reasons. Many do not want a sport they love to become a job. They want to continue to enjoy playing the sport and not have it become a chore.

What is sad is reading that many of those who have made that commitment, and made the sacrifices find life so hard when they walk away from their chosen sport.

There are some athletes, especially in Australia who are not paid athletes. The sports they play hide behind a scholarship system through the Australian Institute of Sport. These athletes are given a pittance which is not pay and because of that they do not have to pay tax on the monies received. The money received is supposed to allow them to study and still be able to afford to train and play for the national team. Of course the money is not enough for them to live off. So they rely on parental support or part-time work, or very understanding employers.

Many of them come away at the end of a career at the highest level having played at Olympic Games and in World Cups with great memories, hopefully a medal or two and a couple of degrees. They are in their late 20’s or early 30’s. Many of them have no solid working history behind them, so despite having the qualifications, they lose out to candidates who have experience in the workplace.

The media is probably one of the few places where athletes can walk in with no experience and be paid the same or more than someone who has dedicated a lifetime to their job.

For many of these former athletes this is a rude awakening. That their degree means nothing without experience in the field. That national representation means nothing when it comes to an everyday job, and an Olympic medal is no use whatsoever.

Is it surprising that many struggle mentally to adjust to retirement, and having to return to the real world or possibly enter it for the first time in their lives?

Should the clubs, or national sporting bodies be doing more to prepare them for a life after sport? Some do have staff for that precise task, and they in turn go out and try and help athletes find work with companies that will be a good fit. These organisations should take a pat on the back. However, they are now becoming few and far between, with such roles viewed as “a luxury” when balancing the books and reducing salaries. They can apparently no longer be justified.

For those athletes who are on a Scholarship rather than being employed one former employee in sport questioned whether the sports in question could be held accountable under the in loco parentis law. This may seem a bit of a stretch, as are the administrators truly guardians? In the 1990’s some sports in the United States found that their courts believed that this was the case, with adults and clubs pushing players to play before they were fully recovered from injuries; thereby potentially shortening the individual’s career. The pressure put on the players to play, and some threatened with contract terminations, was deemed to have not been acting in the best interests of the players, who were seen to be under their guardianship.

Is it down to the sports, or if they are on a scholarship linked to an educational establishment such as the AIS is it incumbent on that organisation to be out there promoting why employers should consider employing former athletes? Explaining that while they may lack practical experience in some roles, their experiences as an elite athlete will benefit various roles and the workplace.

Sadly, this is a problem that is likely to get worse for athletes before a solution is found. In 1988 at the Seoul Olympics Games, the last recognised amateur Olympic Games there were 739 medals handed out. In Tokyo in 2023 there were 1080. Therefore the value of an Olympic medal has been undermined as more become available. With many sports also seeking more international competition, rather than making it less and the rewards more meaningful, athletes are going to be continually invited to be a part of the set-up, and have to make the choice between passing on those experiences for a career. To earn a wage or not.

It today’s world our up and coming athletes more so than before, once chosen have to make some serious choices.