Sports

35 Star Athletes Who Stayed Around For Too Long

Darren - December 2, 2020

Sports

35 Star Athletes Who Stayed Around For Too Long

Darren - December 2, 2020

6. Ryan Howard

Time isn’t kind to any sports star, not even franchise legends. Howard spent the entirety of his career in MLB with the Philadelphia Phillies, but by the end of his time there he was a liability. It’s difficult for an athlete to recognize their physical decline and even worse when a franchise has to cut them loose. But that’s exactly what the Phillies did after choosing not to take up an extension option after his poor final two seasons with the team.

In Howard’s case, one of MLB’s greatest players deteriorated into one of the worst. His batting average became one of the worst in the entire league and fans cringed to watch him play. It was a sad state of affairs because he was phenomenal in his prime. Then he went to the Atlanta Braves on a minor league contract but failed to make any kind of impact. After hanging around too long, his career fizzled out.

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5. Patrick Ewing

Ewing prolonged his career to an unnecessary degree. It’s true that elite athletes will spend the majority of their life retired from the sport they love. So it’s impossible to hate on Ewing for wanting to milk his time as a superstar. But a look at the cold, hard numbers paints a grim picture. Ewing could have retired earlier and made the Hall of Fame quickly. An 11-time All-Star, he found it almost impossible to walk away.

But he could have done so easily after 15 seasons with the New York Knicks. He was a legendary figure for the franchise and it would have been perfect to end things there. However, he continued to play another two pointless seasons with the Seattle Supersonics and Orlando Magic. While he made the playoffs with the latter, he didn’t do much otherwise. Ewing is a hero but he hung around for too long.

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4. Jerry Rice

According to Chron.com, the average length of an NFL wide receiver’s career is just three years. However, Rice played for an insane 20. His decline began in 1999 and continued into 2000. Then Terell Owens broke out as a leading talent in San Francisco and he departed for pastures new. After setting more records than any other player, Rice did prove he could play outside of the 49ers.

After two strong seasons with the Oakland Raiders, he moved to Seattle where he didn’t do much. There was still time to join the Denver Broncos, but he didn’t make their final roster. In the end, he was clutching for the memories of his previous brilliance. Nobody can take his career away from him, but nobody thinks of his latter days either. He would have served his legacy and body better if he didn’t play for so long.

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3. Chuck Liddell

Before Conor McGregor came along, the likes of ‘The Iceman’ and Randy Couture helped to make the UFC the world’s most popular MMA promotion. Liddell had a savage, relentless style that helped him to win the UFC light-heavyweight championship. However, he failed to evolve and when the losing streak started it all turned nasty. Liddell won one of his last six fights with the UFC. Even worse, four of those defeats were by knockout.

Then, after eight years on the sidelines, Oscar De La Hoya convinced the 48-year-old to return against the active Tito Ortiz. It was terrible to watch as Ortiz won by KO. Liddell looked old and it was grim viewing. Overall, ‘The Iceman’ stayed around too long and should never have returned for the sake of his own health. There were no winners from this event because it just left a bad taste.

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2. Brett Favre

The irony is that Favre retired for the second time at the perfect time in 2008. The 11-time Pro Bowler departed Green Bay as one of the greatest in history. But then he decided that he wanted back in. The Packers said no because they had a young gun named Aaron Rodgers ready to go. Then the three-time NFL MVP joined the New York Jets before a spell with the Minnesota Vikings. However, he definitely should have stayed retired.

Favre hung around too long for two reasons. Firstly, his numbers rapidly declined, apart from interceptions which skyrocketed. The sad truth is that people have very short memories and it’s easy to forget success when you don’t see it. Meanwhile, it also undoubtedly had an effect on his long-term health. Favre received multiple concussions throughout his career and only time will tell what effect they have upon him.

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1. Muhammad Ali

The greatest boxer ever to step into a ring, you have to wonder what his last couple of fights did to his health. Ali endured classic wars and took incredible punishment against the likes of Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Meanwhile, he had three years on the sidelines after refusing to go to Vietnam. But this could have contributed to him staying in the sport longer than he should have.

We all know about his sad battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He absorbed a lot of damage before his last few fights, but unfortunate matchups against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick only stung fans’ hearts. This twentieth-century icon definitely stayed around too long. Legendary Boxers often struggle to resist the lure of the ring, the fame, and the glory. ‘The Greatest’ was no exception.

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