Dick Butkus's Influence On Sports

Retirement is a subject that is brought up with a heavy heart. It means that age is getting higher and bone mass is getting lower. It means more sleep and less play. It means that the strong lion that they once were is now a frail flea struggling to keep hold on a dogs neck. No athlete would like to admit that their time to end what they once worked dusk until dawn for is coming up. As time ticks away, their training sessions and countless times they have pushed their bodies to the ultimate test quickly catches up to them. Running down the field soon seems like miles and landing from jumping for rebounds makes their knees feel as if they are about to give out and shatter into millions of pieces. Their breaths seem to be more on demand than

usual and their strides are shorter than they were 10 years ago. For many people, retirement is something to look forward to but to athletes, retirement is looked upon as a tragedy. Both sides will be proven by viewing the goal in how life can be experienced in a brighter way through retirement; however it will be shown as a tragedy due to poor on-court decisions made by athletes resulting in being treated differently by fans off-court, and the sadness of no longer being able to do what they love.
The limited time there is to live life should not be taken for granted. Although the lives that athletes live seem luxurious, they rarely get the chance to branch away from the hustle and bustle to stop and smell the roses. To Larry Bird, “nothing else mattered to him but mastery of the ball and the game to which it belonged” (John Papanek). What he did not realize was that “…there are other things [he could] accomplish [and experience] in life” (Rick Telander) but he did not give himself the chance to take on these challenges. He was aware that “…[he missed] out sometimes…[because he was] accustomed to a small environment” (John Papanek) but, the pro to retirement is that it enlarges the opportunities for athletes to step out of the box and experience life in a different way. John Ed Bradley, author of The Best Years of His Life, illustrates experiencing life differently by “…[marrying] a beautiful woman and [filling] a house with perfect kids, …[and] making a mark that would be of some significance in other people’s eyes”. Retirement gives former athletes the chance to stop worrying about what team they are playing next or what tournaments they are going to join this season but to finally “...think about the big picture” (John Ed Bradley). The typical big picture that many people take for granted is to spend time with family and friends, to go on vacation for months instead of days, and to finally be able to kick back and relax. After retirement, athletes will now realize that despite the unfortunate truth that “it ends for everybody” (John Ed Bradley), there are so many different opportunities for them to grow, regardless how old they are.
Playing a tough opponent is like the key to releasing the cage of a locked alter ego.

Athletes thirst for a win to a point and where they will say and do things that defeat the purpose of sportsmanship. Continuously acting in this manner can easily give an athlete a very bad reputation, on and off their playing fields. Dick Butkus is a linebacker who because of his bad reputation is now depicted as being “…a caged animal” (Rick Telander) “…with some type of aggressive streak” (Rick Telander). Although this hyperbole exaggerates Butkus’ physical appearance, it proves the impact that his poor decisions had on his superstar image. A few things he is known for is “…[talking] all kinds of garbage” (Rick Telander), “…provoking three separate fights in one game,…[picking] up four personal fouls in an exhibition game,… [and] in one heated skirmish bit…a referee” (Rick Telander). He sees it as “…a way to vent [his] anger” (Rick Telander) but the way the crowd sees it, it is a whole new misconception. Contradictory to what he is known to be, “off the field [Dick Butkus is] quiet, laid-back, calm, [and] relaxed” (Rick Telander). But because his play on the field now haunts him, no one will believe that a submissive side is even possible in him. In the story Gifts That God Didn’t Bring, Larry Bird realized “…[that] there’s nothing [he] can do about it once [he has] done it”. He understands that there are consequences to his actions, ones that he knows he will not be able to change. He

will be treated differently but not as royalty but with caution which lingers through every word of the fan, scared to say the wrong things to him. The effects of the athlete’s actions will remain deep within the shadows for a lifetime.
When it comes time for athletes to put it all to rest, it could leave them feeling at an all-time low.

By gravitating away from their natural habitat of training and hard work, their lives begin to feel dull and slothful. Athletes train their whole lives in order to reach success and soon after retirement, all their hard work only seems to be a distant memory. Larry Bird, a former Boston Celtic and World Champion, started his day in the gym at 7 o’clock in the morning and ended it in the gym at midnight. He spent all this time in the gym because “he believes everyone should work [hard]” (John Papanek), regardless of the player’s skill level. “That’s how [Larry] got to be such a good player” (John Papanek). He worked hard so that he could be better than he was the day before. Considering all the time Larry had spent training, the love and the bond he had made with the sport shows why “… he [would not] want it to end” (John Ed Bradley). Alongside being out of routine, retirement also brings a lack of motivation which escalades to laziness very quickly. In the article Broken Promises, Borris Becker talks about how his body ends up “…[looking] drawn, thinner than [it] used to be” (S.L. Price) and his self-confidence that came with the fit body now “…comes and goes” (S.L. Price). The time away from the sport and the way their body responds to it makes the athlete believe that “…[they have] really got nothing [left]” (S.L. Price). They had lost one of their loves and occasionally

their self-confidence. Although they still have family, there will always be an empty void that only the sport may fill.
All in all, it is evident that retirement being a tragedy for athletes exceeds it being anticipated as the finish line. Despite the fact that through retirement one can now experience the bigger picture in life; the reputation that follows from past to future and the loss of the game displays clearly how tragic retirement for an athlete is. One must learn to understand that there are more things in life beyond playing a sport. Also those poor decisions not only put a damper on the present but also on the future. Lastly, one must learn to cope with the fact that not all things will last forever. One can apply the knowledge gained to reality by truly understanding the essence of it all. They must take into consideration the life that is laid beyond the sport; they need to realize that the past will without a doubt catch up to them, and that although training seemed to last forever, the game will not. The life leading up to becoming a professional athlete leaves many people in awe. And so, the question of retirement tends to pop up; the hard work they put themselves through and the pain they endured shows why retiring would not be a simple thing to do.