Whilst there are some exceptions, the average cricket, rugby, and soccer player retires in their mid-30s and a lot barely play towards the end which gives them an indication that they should retire.
I know that it must be hard to get good offers to play when they reach their mid-30s but what are the body changes that take place when one is in their mid-30s?
It also seems like the athletes in these sports mainly peak between 27-29.
In: Biology
It’s not so much the age, as it is the mileage. Essentially, professional athletes put wear and tear on their bodies unlike pretty much anything in history, and often quite unevenly. The body’s like a finely built machine, for this comparison, and if you use it normally, with a decent load balance, it can go a long while with minimal maintenance, but if you keep putting intense loads on the same three parts for a couple of decades straight, those three parts will wear down faster, and we’re not yet at the point where spare parts are as good as the original components.
Which is why a lot of professional athletes retire in their thirties to spend their remaining years with their remaining functional limbs, etc.
Keep in mind, AFAIK, retiring from sports doesn’t mean *retiring* retiring – I know old footballers who work as youth sports organizers, coachers, mentors, and the like, for example..
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