The decision to walk away belongs with the athlete, unless ... (2024)

Before she could fully dry off and savor becoming the first American female swimmer to earn nine Olympic gold medals, Katie Ledecky was asked to turn her attention to 2028 and whether she would seek to compete in a fifth consecutive Games.

Ledecky will be 31 then, an age that’s considered advanced by most swimming metrics, but it’s hard not to wonder if accepted norms really apply to someone whose 14 Olympic medals are tied for fifth-most all-time and who is only the second swimmer and sixth athlete to earn gold in the same event in four consecutive Games, as Ledecky has in the 800-meter freestyle.

“I don’t feel like I’m close to being finished in the sport yet,” Ledecky said after setting an Olympic record in the 1,500 free last Wednesday in Paris. “I’d love to continue on, and just seeing the kind of support that the French athletes are getting here, I think all the U.S. athletes are thinking about how cool that could be in Los Angeles (site of the 2028 Games) having the home crowd. So, it would be amazing to be able to compete there.”

Such an occasion could make for a Disney-like ending to what has been a sublime career, with deafening cheers and swaying flags serving as the backdrop. But will she return? Or, to take it one step further, should she? Is the potential reward of going out on top on her home turf greater than the lurking danger and disappointment of not winning gold or failing to medal at all?

Neither of the latter seems likely, particularly considering she took her victory margin in the 1,500 free from just over four seconds in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to slightly more than 10 seconds last week. That’s a lot of distance for an opponent to make up over four years, but that’s also what draws us to sports — the fact that you never know. It’s also why a part of me hopes she and Simone Biles, another 27-year-old who is this country’s most decorated gymnast with seven Olympic golds and 11 medals overall, decide their cups are full and take the time to sip from them.

There is nothing left for either to prove. Their legacies are written in ink. But history says the odds are against them staying away. The greats are not wired that way. They search out difficult challenges and live for historical moments. On those occasions when others run from the light, they sprint to it. That trait contributes to what makes them special and why, in most cases (more on this later), I believe society does not have the right to infringe on their decision — even as I admit to looking through my fingers at Willie Mays in a Mets uniform, Johnny Unitas in a Chargers jersey and Michael Jordan in Wizards colors.

In a perfect world, we would get to remember our athletic heroes at their best, not as shadows of their former selves. But competition can be a drug that’s hard to kick, not to mention the financial rewards that come with success. However, money is a distant second because I’ve never met a truly great athlete who was driven by money at his or her core. For them, greatness is a need, not a want.

Part of my fear is that people are as quick to tear you down as build you up. Take Biles. Despite being the darling of Olympics past, a segment of the population turned on her four years ago when she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics because of a mental health issue. J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee who was an aspiring senator at the time, went so far as to accuse her of “quitting.”

“I think it reflects pretty poorly on our sort of therapeutic society that we try to praise people, not for moments of strength, not for moments of heroism, but for their weakest moments,” Vance told Fox News in 2021.

It was a shameful characterization on multiple levels. The icons have given us so much joy that they deserve the respect to go out in a manner of their choosing. That’s why Colin Montgomerie was out of line last month in the leadup to The Open when he told the Times of London that Tiger Woods needed to put away his golf clubs. At that point, Woods had missed the cut in back-to-back majors and hadn’t broken par since shooting 69 in the second round of the 2022 PGA Championship.

“I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him,” Montgomerie said. “There is none of that now. At Pinehurst, he did not seem to enjoy a single shot and you think, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ He’s coming to Troon and he won’t enjoy it there, either.”

Woods did not play well in The Open, missing the cut for a third consecutive major. Was it hard to watch him struggle? Yes. But that was understandable considering Woods set the bar of expectations so high during the prime of his career when he was the most dominant golfer on the planet and one of the all-time greats. He made the cut at 142 consecutive events from 1998 to 2005 to break the PGA Tour record of 113 events previously held by Byron Nelson, and his 82 PGA Tour wins are tied for first with Sam Snead. His 15 majors are second to Jack Nicklaus’ 18.

He has an exemption to play in The Open until he’s 60 because of his previous wins in the tournament, so if Woods, now 48 and dealing with four back surgeries, as well as knee, leg and ankle surgeries, chooses to exercise that option, good for him. He has earned that right. His play might not be what it once was, but if he’s OK with it, we should be, too, considering what he has done for the game and how he still moves the needle like no one else.

The winds of change eventually catch every athlete, regardless of their prowess. In team competition, it typically requires them to decide whether they’re willing to take a lesser role. Soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo is experiencing that now. After decades as one of the world’s top players, the 39-year-old Portuguese star faced questions last month about whether he should come off the bench at Euro 2024. And last NBA season, Klay Thompson, a future Hall of Famer and one of the all-time great shooters in Golden State Warriors history, struggled emotionally before finally being moved to the bench, in part due to a dropoff in efficiency after missing two years because of injuries.

The one time when the decision to step away should be taken out of the hands of the athlete is when their physical well-being is at stake. As a teenager, I winced and groaned and looked away at times as Larry Holmes motioned for the referee to stop the fight as he pummeled Muhammad Ali. The matchup was billed as “The Last Hurrah” but, sadly, an overweight and aging Ali stepped into the ring one final time in a loss to Trevor Berbick. Those fights never should have been sanctioned, let alone agreed to. Which brings me to Tony Ferguson.

The popular fighter once held the UFC record of 12 consecutive wins, during which he won the interim lightweight championship and thrilled fans with his relentless effort and active style. But entering Saturday’s fight against Michael Chiesa, Ferguson, now 40, had lost seven consecutive fights and looked bad in some of them. His last win was in 2019.

Please Tony Ferguson retire your have nothing else to prove for this sport 💔 pic.twitter.com/ZpG3LUu1Z1

— ★ ᴍʏᴛʜɪᴄ 𝖩𝖺𝗒𖤐 (@StunnaXXL) August 3, 2024

Not surprisingly, Chiesa submitted him in the first round. Afterward, he said he wanted to continue fighting. The words were a chilling reminder that sometimes an athlete has to be protected from himself. Ferguson is the type who will compete until his last breath, believing he is one adjustment from regaining his championship form. However, he is not. It is in moments like this I feel comfortable projecting my beliefs: It is time for him to walk away or for others to remove the gloves for him.

The situation is far different from that of Ledecky and Biles. They are still at the top of their games. Will they be in four years? That’s for them to decide.

(Top photo of Katie Ledecky on the “Today Show” set in Paris: Kristy Sparow / Getty Images)

Jim Trotter is a national columnist for The Athletic based in San Diego. He previously worked for NFL Media, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and The San Diego Union-Tribune. A proud graduate of Howard University, he is a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter and a former president of Pro Football Writers of America. He has authored two books, including “Junior Seau: The Life and Death of a Football Icon,” and is a regular fill-in guest host on “Brother From Another” on Peaco*ck TV. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimTrotter_NFL