Jody Avergan

But that's sports.

It's simply the fact that for all of us, there comes a time when the sport we play and love, and our ability or desire to play it at the level we're used to, passes us by.

In sports, retiring is kind of a strange and humbling thing.

You spend years devoting yourself completely to training, competing, chasing that next gold medal or championship or record.

And then one day, usually with most of your life still ahead of you, you're done.

When they face retirement, athletes put something we all face, aging, into sharper relief.

Both in terms of the body, it breaks down, and something more existential.

I was one type of person, defined by the things I love.

Now that that's over, what am I?

I've been going through this myself lately.

For most of my life, playing top-level sports, which, as I've talked about on this show, was mostly Ultimate Frisbee, it shaped my life.

Every day was filled with playing or training for tournaments.

My social circle was made up of people I played sports with.

The field was where I could focus my drive and work out my frustrations.

And it was an ego boost.

I'll cop to liking the fact that I knew that I was very, very good at something.

And then my body started giving out.

A couple torn ACLs, continuously pulled hamstrings, Achilles surgery.

I just couldn't bring it anymore.

I needed to stop playing.