College Athletes Who Can't Let Go

I keep seeing and hearing of stories of college athletes who can't let go.

The moment your senior season is done, your college career is over. 

You are always part of the team in the sense that your teammates still and will always care about you. 

However, you really aren't a part of the TEAM anymore.  You don't belong in the lockerroom.  You don't belong on the field and at practice.  You don't belong at pre-game meals.  You don't go on the travel list. 

You're done.  Your usefulness to the team is over when your career is over.  This is life.  Things are not permanent. 

A team is supposed to accomplish something.  When your eligibility is up you are of no use to the team.  You can't play anymore so you can't help on the field.  Unless you are there for a specific purpose, like coaching, administrative work, or athletic training, you can't help the team at all.  

It's sad how often athletes can't get over this.  They hold on to the notion that they are still college athletes or an athlete when they are not.  They hang around after games.  ALL the games. 

They show up to practice several times a week. 

They only hang out with old teammates, or only go out with teammates and people on the team.

They become "managers" or other loosely related terms like "student-assistant" when they can no longer play.  This way they still get the gear and get to be part of the team.  Except in rare instances former college athletes aren't useful to teams as managers or coaches.  

For many college athletes their entire social circle is comprised of athletes and teammates.  It's a little daunting when that circle is gone.  They do whatever they can to stay in that circle.  Often times that means being a manager.  Which often means to them that they get to go to practice and hang out with the team.  Maybe they will pump up a ball or take a stat or two twice a week. 

It's great to have alumni involved, but their should be a clear distinction between being on the team and being an alumni.  Practice once or twice a month is a lot different than twice a week. 

So much of an athlete is also what they are physically capable of doing.  Let's be honest here.  Athletes get a lot of self confidence out of their appearance and abilities.  I think the thought of losing those things is hard on an athlete.    They have to realize that in order to move up and move on in life, that they have to sacrifice some of the time they spent training on other things.  They should still work out and be healthy, but unless they are paid to be a professional they can't just expect to be able to have their lives revolve around the field and gym. 

The best banquet speech in the three years I heard them at UCWS was given by Dulski because I think she touched on soccer being a chapter.  I'm sure she hates that she doesn't play anymore, but atleast she could acknowledge that she has put a part of her life behind her. 

Some athletes have ended the athlete chapter of their lives, but continue to write long run-on sentences that ruin good pieces of work and prevent the next chapters from being any good.