Athletes were once deemed on their way out of professional sports when they hit their early 30s. By 35, they were supposed to be ready for the retirement home.
This has changed in the last decade; there are more 40-year-old professional athletes than there ever have been, by a long shot. Those who remain in their respective leagues are among the most accomplished in their sports and have one thing in common: unfinished business.
It’s easy to criticize a flailing athlete who is putting off retirement for money or who wants to complain about an alleged grave injustice facing the millionaire class. However, players like Aaron Rodgers are putting their reputations on the line.
While it seemed ridiculous at age 41 for Rodgers to have any aspirations beyond recovering from a 2023 Achilles tendon blowout, the quarterback has made no indication that he wants to retire and has shown no sign that he’s going to stop voicing his opinions.
With at least one year left on his contract, Rodgers’ frequent podcast appearances have allowed him to continue his fight for honesty and truth in the media and government.
His appearances on “The Joe Rogan Experience” have been used as launching pads to support political candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the pursuit of national health, while simultaneously condemning the abuse of pharmaceuticals.
During appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers has battled the media machine that has attempted to label him as wacky. Rodgers fended off attacks of being a conspiracy theorist by late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and was criticized for his race by commentators like Stephen A. Smith.
It is unlikely that Rodgers’ words would be as effective in retirement as they are while he is an NFL star, and he seems to know that. As long as he is on the field, Rodgers is willing and able to use his notoriety to call out mainstream media, and for that we should be thankful.
Aaron Rodgers carries the American flag onto the field on September 11, 2023, at MetLife Stadium.Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images
When Tom Brady retired at 45, it seemed most thought him the oldest professional athlete in major sports; most would have been wrong.
Enter NHL legend Jaromir Jagr, who, at age 50, came out of retirement seemingly to play one more game.
Jagr is majority owner of the Rytiri Kladno in the Czech Republic’s Extraliga, one of the top hockey leagues in the world behind the NHL.
In late 2022, more than half of Jagr’s team became ill, whittling their lineup down to 12 men. Unwilling to let his team suffer a forfeit, Jagr put on his skates and came out of retirement to ensure that his team didn’t incur the loss.
The act was doubly unselfish given that it was later revealed that Jagr’s participation in the game meant forgoing his eligibility for the Hockey Hall of Fame, which he likely would have been inducted into just a few months later.
This selflessness sparked something in Jagr, who is still playing at 52 years old for his club. Jagr has used his notoriety and the fanfare around his storied career to bring added attention to the Czech Extraliga and take a retirement tour that included his first NHL team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In March, the veteran player was at the center of a DHS/FBI investigation after a truckload of bobbleheads with his likeness was hijacked from a warehouse.
Along with promoting a new charitable cause or event on his Instagram page seemingly every day, Jagr is followed by stories whereever he goes. In September, he even won an Emmy.
Jagr is also an adversary to cancel culture and should be credited as an early adopter of the current counterculture, too.
In 2018, an 18-year-old model tried to blackmail Jagr by demanding 50,000 Czech koruna using the threat of publishing a picture of him in bed following an encounter. Jagr reportedly responded by saying, “I don’t care,” and the sleeping photo of the athlete was published without any money changing hands.
Jaromir Jagr, during his jersey retirement in Pittsburgh.Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images
‘I’m proud to be a great American champion; I’m proud to be a Christian American champion.’
UFC heavyweight champion and 37-year-old Jon Jones has had several stints away from the sport, which has made his career seem even longer than it already has been.
With multiple public arrests over the years resulting in four-year and one-year layoffs, Jones seemingly has had no reason to continue fighting and instead might focus on his well-being.
However, despite calls from fans for him to retire while he is still considered undefeated, Jones has fought twice at heavyweight to win, then defend his title.
Following his November win, Jones explained that he’s still not done.
Typically, Jones would call out another fighter or egg on the crowd, but this time he took an entirely different approach. The New Mexico fighter said that not only is he going to keep fighting for the fans, but he explicitly said he wants to represent Christianity and American patriotism moving forward.
“You know what? While I got the moment, while everybody’s cheering and so happy, I want to acknowledge Jesus Christ,” Jones said in the Octagon.
“I’m proud to be a great American champion; I’m proud to be a Christian American champion,” he continued. “I also want to say a big, big thank-you to President Donald Trump for being here tonight.”
Jones started the U-S-A chant, handed his belt to President Trump, and affirmed that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Along with several NFL and MLB players who are doing the same, Jones is pushing a new wave of proud, American, and often Christian conservative athletes who have been unapologetic in their belief in conserving the republic.
Sports fans not only should be thankful for this shift in energy, but they should be proudly supporting these rare instances when an athlete has more to say than vague claims of oppression and hate.
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