It’s that time of year again.
The NBA Draft has wrapped up.
The transfer portal is in full swing.
College coaches are making phone calls.
Athletes are announcing their commitments with dramatic social media graphics. {Insert Cookie Cutter AI Graphic here followed by Data Center Activist Complaint}
And every time I read another headline about someone coming back for a sixth year because of a COVID year, a redshirt year, a medical hardship, or a graduate transfer…
I can’t help but wonder…
Surely I’ve got some eligibility left.
I mean, I only got four years.
That hardly seems fair.
Somehow the kids these days have managed to turn four years of college into what feels like a decade, and somehow we’re all just acting like that’s normal. Y’all know I don’t math…but even I can’t make that add up!
Meanwhile, I blinked, graduated, got a job, and somehow ended up with grandsons.
I’d like to formally request the NCAA review my case.
I feel like I’ve got a compelling argument.
First of all, I still think about basketball every single day.
Second, I recently played in the (Not So) Senior Olympics, so it’s not like I’ve been completely inactive.
And third…
I still own basketball shoes and a lifetime supply of ice packs and BioFreeze.
That has to count for something…am I right???
Now, I will admit there may be a few obstacles.
The competitive spirit is absolutely willing.
My back…well…it’s already started filing complaints just at the thought.
My knees like to send me regularly scheduled gentle…or not so gentle reminders that I am no longer twenty-one.
And I’ve reached the stage of life where I stretch before doing activities that don’t actually require stretching; ie. getting out of bed or reaching a platter stored on a too high shelf.
Still…
I think I deserve a shot.
If not basketball, maybe there’s another sport looking for a mature rookie.
I’ve always been intrigued by curling.
Now there’s a sport that seems to appreciate strategy over vertical leap.
I’ve watched exactly three Olympic curling matches, and I’m convinced I could yell “SWEEP!” with the best of them.
Golf seems to be where retired athletes naturally migrate.
Although, if I’m being honest, I’ve never fully understood why.
After spending years playing sports that require constant movement, we eventually decide the next logical step is to chase a tiny white ball around 18 holes in Arkansas heat.
Maybe that’s the athlete in us.
We still need something to compete at.
Something to improve.
Something to chase.
Maybe that’s why pickleball has exploded too.
Former athletes don’t really retire.
We just keep looking for new ways to convince ourselves we’ve “still got it.”
Sometimes we do.
Sometimes…our bodies politely disagree.
The funny thing is, I know I’m not the only one who thinks this way.
READ MORE BELOW
Every former athlete has had that moment. You’re watching a game on television and think, “I could’ve made that shot.” Never mind that you’re saying it while simultaneously trying to get comfortable on the couch because your hip has been bothering you since Tuesday.
Confidence has a remarkable way of outlasting athletic ability.
But here’s what I’ve realized.
I don’t actually want another four years of eligibility.
I wouldn’t trade the four I had for anything.
The practices.
The bus rides.
The locker room.
The teammates who became family.
The games I’ll never forget.
Even the losses that still sting a little.
What I really miss isn’t just playing. It’s belonging to something bigger than myself.
It’s having a team. It’s chasing a common goal with people who were willing to sweat, sacrifice, and celebrate right alongside me. Maybe that’s why so many former athletes stay involved.
We coach.
We volunteer.
We officiate.
We sit in the stands.
We cheer a little too loudly.
We write columns about sports.
Not because we’re trying to relive our glory days.
But because once a game has shaped your life, it never really leaves you.
So if anyone from the NCAA happens to be reading this…
My phone is on.
I’m probably not your answer at low post anymore (but don’t count me all the way out just yet!).
But if there’s an opening on an Olympic curling team…
Call me.
I’ve got a broom, a dream, and at least one year of eligibility left.
Probably.
And that’s how the ball really bounces.
Read more from How the Ball Bounces with Bekka in the archives at www.mysaline.com/bounces.
About the author: Bekka Wilkerson is a lifelong lover of all things sports. Raised in a super athletic household it was no surprise when she too began to love sports at a young age. It seems like from the time she could walk she had a softball bat in her hands, but her true athletic passion came from all things Basketball. That love served her well as a Bryant High School Lady Hornet and ultimately earned her a full scholarship to play at the University of Central Arkansas – among many other adventures.
These days Bekka can be found running around Saline County with her husband, Speedy, or chasing one of her grandsons. She is also the Executive Director of The EMpact One Foundation, a Saline County Nonprofit Organization that helps young people stay connected to extracurricular activities through tuition assistance and equipment provisions.
Reach out to Bekka with questions and/or ideas about things you want to see in this column at [email protected] and learn more about The EMpact One Foundation at www.empactone.org.
