Sports Issues for the Ages: Life Span and Career Span Narratives Ingrained in Sports Culture

Abstract

In sport, as in life, context is everything. A certain statistic could represent an all-time low or an all-time high, depending on the history. A miraculous header in football could be a game winner in professional sports or, conversely, a foul in youth sports where heading is forbidden. An athlete speaking out about an injustice could be heroic in professional contexts or, conversely, a violation of Rule 50 in an Olympic context. Even outside of sport, societies understand that most constructs require a lens in which one should place their gaze. An alcoholic drink at 7 p.m. is largely acceptable in most cultures; an alcoholic drink at 7 a.m. connotes something that likely is problematic. It all depends on the perspective.We bring this construct to the fore for this issue because the concept of age is the subject of the opening pair of studies. Conceptualizing age is a veritable funhouse mirror in sport; 24-year-olds are somehow called veterans in some sports or, more aptly, a "crypt keeper" in figure skating, as Carmack and Lazenby (2023) explain in this issue's opening work surrounding media framing of figure skater Mariah Bell. So many phrases within sports culture involve the interrelated concepts of age and experience. Depending on how they are performing, older athletes might be called "turning back the clock", "past their prime", or "in the twilight of their career." Meanwhile, a younger athlete might be called a "rising star", "phenom", or-when not performing well, "still green" from a lack of experience.Within this lens, one of the most abiding tropes is sport is the fading hero presented with one last shot at glory. Eight-time Grand Slam golf champion Tom Watson had