Injured Athletes and Early Retirement The rise to becoming a professional athlete requires passion, dedication and years of preparation. To play a sport at such a high competitive level and intensity the athlete must be in excellent physical and mental health. Athletes like "Magic" Johnson and Bo Jackson had the dedication and determination to be the best. The negative feelings the athlete endures after an injury or illness are overwhelming and can lead to early retirement, but if that's all they've invested; most haven't given much thought to a career after sports. The athlete and the consequences of an injury or illness that lead to retirement is a difficult issue. For those readers who are injured or suffer from a debilitating illness that prevents further participation in your sport, you are not alone. Scientists and doctors are working hard to solve the problem of early retirement due to injuries. The emotional pain comes later for the athlete who is injured while playing. This pain occurs when the athlete is soaked and iced, with dislocated joints, torn bones and muscles. After a while, heartache begins to weigh on the prospect of losing participation in their sport, says sports psychologist Albert Petitpas, Ed.D, of Springfield College, an expert in the rehabilitation of injured athletes. "They become anxious or confused, wondering if they will ever be able to play again and what they would do if they couldn't. Serious clinical problems, such as depression, alcoholism and suicidal tendencies, could result," says Petitpas (p.1, APA Monitor). His research suggests that 5 to 13% of injured athletes who develop clinical distress are those who identify most with the sport and that o...... half of the article ......ReferencesLide, WE Forced Retirement Among Former Professional Footballers with Short-Term Careers. The Ohio State University. Thesis, 1-181. 1981.Scher, ATHigh-intensity intermittent exercise. (pp.543-567). Boundary Row, London: E and FN. 1993.Murray, B. “Mending Battered Spirits Along with Broken Bones.” [Homepage of the American Psychological Association], [Online]. Available: http.//www.apa.org/monitor/jul96/injury.html [1998, February 17].Psychiatric News. (1997, April 18-last update). “Injured athletes are as stressed as victims of natural disasters.” [Psychiatric News Homepage], [Online]. Available: http://www.appi.org/pnews/apr18/sports.html [1998, February 16].[No author]. (1992). Magic Johnson ends his NBA career after testing positive for HIV and vows: "I will beat him." Jet magazine page.12