One Season Too Many: Superstar Athletes Who Stayed Too Long
Matthew Andrews teaches American History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His courses use the history of sports to explore race relations, gender ideals, political protest, and American identity. Professor Andrews was asked by the UNC student body to give the honorific “Last Lecture” to the graduating class of 2015. His students have voted him their university’s “Best Professor” three times since 2016.
Overview
Just as Tom Brady experienced week after week of disappointment, he did, in fact, follow in the footsteps of many other superstar athletes who played a final season they wish had never happened. Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, Willie Mays, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali and many more finished with a whimper, rather than a bang…and may have tarnished their reputations. So why did they continue to play? Sports historian Matt Andrews picks some fascinating superstar athletes from a few different sports to illustrate the concept of players who played on too long.