May 24 2005
The best, no matter what
So here’s the thing.
I’m not going to be the one to tell Jerry Rice that he should retire. Others might, but I won’t.
Because no truly great athlete ever wants to retire. All the great ones will rage against the dying of the light until they can rage no more. We may blather on about how they’re ruining their legacy by playing well past their prime, but do we not still remember them as the best players ever to play their games?
We told Joe Montana he was too old went to Kansas City. We told Emmitt Smith he shouldn’t have gone to Arizona. We told Michael Jordan he was past his prime when he hit the hardwood with the Washington Wizards. We told Gordie Howe he was being foolish when he took the ice with the Hartford Whalers at age 51. We’re probably saying the same thing to Rickey Henderson now as he toils away for the San Diego Surf Dawgs. I won’t even mention the boxers.
Why would they ever want to hang it up? They’re rich, they’re talented, they owned the spotlight, they can do whatever they want with their lives, and they still want to play. Who are we to say they should hang it up if they still feel capable of playing? They have earned the right to choose when to walk away. If Jerry Rice isn’t ready to go, who am I to tell him he’s wrong?
We only say these things because we’re selfish people. Jerry Rice is not spoiling his legacy. He’s only spoiling our memories of him. That’s why people are telling him to walk away. We don’t want to see him at the end of his career, a step slower than he once was, struggling to catch on as a fourth receiver somewhere. We want to remember him as the lithe, graceful MVP he once was. He’s ruining our collective image of him by hanging on, and so we tell him it’s time to hang it up.
Bullshit. Let Jerry Rice play until he can’t play anymore. He’s accomplished far too much on the field for anyone to deny him another shot at Sunday glories. Hell, if he wants to play in the Arena League for a few years, I’ll watch him. He’s Jerry Rice. He’s still the best receiver that ever played the game. Let’s see what he’s got.
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