When did i get old?
Ive been hearing things lately that have made me very worried. I appear to be at an age that, if I were a Sportsman, I should be thinking about calling it a day.
This has troubled me. I know Im not old but I've always kind of related my age to that of a sportsman: teens is raw potential, mid twenties is prime, 30's is twi-light, late 30's is retiring time.
The bones are still ok, just about. It might take me slightly longer to get out of bed in a morning and Im a little more catankerous than I was before. Hair grows in parts of the body I didnt realise had follicles and my best football days are probably behind me - some might say that they haven't been there at all. I prefer music as it used to be and look back favourably on all things yesterday.
It is true, Im becoming middle aged.
I knew that i'd be getting old when people my age stop playing football. The problem is that some of them are packing it in about now.
32 year old Alan Shearer will be retiring next year, 29 year old Paul Scholes has retired from playing for England. Paul Gascoigne looks like about 60 and is on a downward playing spiral.
There are a whole raft of late twenties-early thirties Athletes in the Olympic games who could have been in their last Olympics.
Lots of footballers who I remember as of young are entering the twi-light of their careers.
Then I stumble across the ages of people I assumed were older than me and are perceived as older by me and I discover Im older than them, this really hurts. Ive always perceived my sporting heroes to be older than me, even if they obviously aren't, it feels strange idolising a person who is younger than me.
When did i become old? I cant remember that happening.
This has troubled me. I know Im not old but I've always kind of related my age to that of a sportsman: teens is raw potential, mid twenties is prime, 30's is twi-light, late 30's is retiring time.
The bones are still ok, just about. It might take me slightly longer to get out of bed in a morning and Im a little more catankerous than I was before. Hair grows in parts of the body I didnt realise had follicles and my best football days are probably behind me - some might say that they haven't been there at all. I prefer music as it used to be and look back favourably on all things yesterday.
It is true, Im becoming middle aged.
I knew that i'd be getting old when people my age stop playing football. The problem is that some of them are packing it in about now.
32 year old Alan Shearer will be retiring next year, 29 year old Paul Scholes has retired from playing for England. Paul Gascoigne looks like about 60 and is on a downward playing spiral.
There are a whole raft of late twenties-early thirties Athletes in the Olympic games who could have been in their last Olympics.
Lots of footballers who I remember as of young are entering the twi-light of their careers.
Then I stumble across the ages of people I assumed were older than me and are perceived as older by me and I discover Im older than them, this really hurts. Ive always perceived my sporting heroes to be older than me, even if they obviously aren't, it feels strange idolising a person who is younger than me.
When did i become old? I cant remember that happening.
