Longevity
With the rigors and strain of professional sports, especially those involved in combat sports, most athletes have probably 8 to 10 years of productivity. But some are gifted with biological components that allow them to be back year after year. Pro athletes are aging but they seem to stay in the game longer.
Retiring then unretiring, Manny Pacquiao, three years shy of hitting 50, is a prime example of endurance and durability. He should permanently retire from politics.
Other pro boxers hitting the squared ring past 40 were the brothers Klitschko, Wladimir and Vitaly, who fought until they were 41. A disciplined Bernard Hopkins retired from the sport at the age of 51. At the age of 45, George Foreman unretired after 10 years and defeated Michael Moorer for the world heavyweight title in 1994.
With a basketball career spanning 31 years (23 seasons in the PBA), Robert Jaworski is local basketball’s old reliable, retired from active ball at 50. Like Pacman, his popularity brought him to the Senate but was more of a bench player in the upper House compared to his legendary court exploits.
Asi Taulava dominated the paint in the PBA for 24 seasons. Also retiring at 50, the one-time MVP had several career accomplishments and represented the country multiple times in international tournaments.
The next big thing to Asi, and arguably better, is June Mar Fajardo. Standing 2 shades below 7 feet, JMF, now 36, is a walking awards collector with multiple league titles, 9 league MVPs and 5 Finals MVPs among others. Like Asi, JMF is a fixture in the national men’s team. It would have been a dream matchup between Asi and JMF had they been in the same era.
US multi-titled alpine skier Lindsy Von (41), with nothing left to prove, tempted fate and competed at this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy. She had a brutal crash while competing with a torn left ACL. The resulting injury from that crash reportedly almost required amputation.
Both still playing at high levels, Kevin Durant (37) and LeBron James (41) seem to defy the word ‘old’. KD intends to play at the 2028 Olympics. In the modern era, Kevin Willis in 2007 was the oldest to retire from the game at 44. Vince Carter, the only player in NBA history to have played in 4 different decades, retired at 43 in 2020 after 23 seasons.
NFL quarterbacks had become durable. Tom Brady was an NFL MVP at 40 and won a Super Bowl at 43 with Tampa Bay. Aaron Rodgers, at 42, could be back with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Football’s two undisputed GOATs, Cristiano Ronaldo (41) and Leo Messi (38) are still playing at elite levels and earning elitist salaries. CR-7 said he will retire when he makes his 1000th career goal. 2026 could be their last FIFA world Cup.
40 is also the number of years that the country had the EDSA revolt. Issues raised then were still the same issues making noise but made hybrid with the royalties in government. Do we really expect to find answers in this lifetime with the immovable mafia in the lower and upper Houses?
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