Why is it almost second nature to suggest athletes hang it up at the first sign of aging?
Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird is one of the game’s greatest of all time, but that doesn’t mean she wont show up on the wrong side of the highlight reel from time to time. Such was the case on Sunday after Los Angeles Sparks vet Erica Wheeler pulled an epic crossover on the #WNBA legend.
Let's clear the air, since the majority of the internet comments pointed to the fact that she tripped on her own foot…. YES! Of course she did. Any hooper knows that is exactly what an epic cross will do. So while she did trip on her own sneaker, it was because of how quick the change of direction came from Erica Wheeler that Sue wasn't able to adjust her footing.
I couldn't help thinking about her age though. She'll be 41 next month. When you watch someone fall at 20 it's just easier. Your first instinct is to say "walk it off". When I saw Sue fall my first instinct was, "maybe you should come out of the game" LOL. From a viewer's perspective it's hard to watch someone take such a hard fall, regardless of how clean the crossover was. You get that second hand embarrassment for Sue knowing that will be on the wrong side of some highlight reels forever but does that mean she should retire?
The short answer is “NO”
Sue is the defending WNBA Champion, she can get cross all day and twice on Tuesday and still come out and compete at an extraordinarily high level. Older veteran athletes bring a lot to the table beyond what shows up on the stat sheet.
Sue is still putting up Sue numbers. She’s average .42% from beyond the 3. In fact, all her numbers across the board are all consistent with what's she been putting up her entire career. The only difference is now she is finishing up her 18th season with the #Seattle storm. Imagine being at the same job for 18 years. I know the boomers used to do it but these are new times. In professional sports, its considered a rarity to call one franchise home but it's considered remarkable to be putting up consistent numbers offensively this late into any career.
Let's leave it at this.....as long as she can still compete at a high level. Let's let legends live and stoppppp demanding they move on to other things. The day will come where we all must say goodbye to the world we knew and the athletes we thought would never leave. How about giving Sue Bird the send off she deserves and simply relishing the time she still has left to play. However longgggg that may be.
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