I’ve been an avid sports fan from the time I was old enough to follow games on television; looking back, it was my dad’s passion for any kind of sport that got me hooked onto them as well. My siblings, dad and I would drive mom nuts as we yelled ourselves hoarse during a match, but on the upside, we all took to playing some sport or the other. Although I would like to say I chose basketball, because I’m naturally tall, truth is that the game chose me. I was pulled into my junior school team and developed an affinity for the game as the years went by. And even though other interests took up much of my time, I continued to play ball till I graduated from college.

Of late though, I’ve been sidelined by a torn ACL, an injury that is the scourge of any pro basketball player. Yes, I went through the reconstruction surgery, but even after you’re done with the physiotherapy and back to normal, it’s difficult to get back completely into the game and play with your usual level of skill. Now basketball is not my life; it’s more of a way to stay fit, meet up with friends, and have a good time. But the time I spent sidelined by my injury made me think of people whose dreams are shattered by sports injuries – ironically, the very game that they love and are passionate about, becomes the reason they cannot play it anymore.

Basketball players, especially the women, are prone to ACL tears. It’s not an injury that you can never recover from, but the day you hear your knee pop, you know you cannot make a career out of the game. What’s worse is that you don’t have the motivation to stick with the therapy that is essential for full recovery. The days following the surgery are hazy now, but I do remember that the recovery was slow and painful, at least in the first month. Only the determination to get back on my feet as soon as possible and get on court again made me push through with the therapy. The more I worked my muscles and built up my strength, the better my knee became.

But if you’re trying to sneak back into the world of professional basketball, an arena where it’s tough enough to grab a toehold even if you’re in the prime of health, then an ACL tear is pretty much a door closing in your face. The realization of this fact is a downer and plays havoc with the recovery process because you have no motivation to get back on your feet.

It’s sad when injury cuts short your professional sports career, but it shouldn’t be reason for you to simply fade away into obscurity. Today, there are many opportunities and ways to involve yourself in the game if you love it deep enough – you can coach, sign on as a consultant, find a job as a commentator, start a sports blog, and so on and so forth. You only need to find the mental strength to let go of what will never be and find something that is more practical and realistically possible.

This guest post is contributed by Sandra McAubre, she writes on the topic of Sports management degrees . She welcomes your comments at her email id: SandraA@sportsmanagementdegrees.net.

Popularity: 1% [?]

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!