Money, pressure and fame: Why elite athletes step out of retirement

For some, a sporting comeback might be about money, fame or relevance.

For others – like tennis superstar Serena Williams who is courting speculation she will join her sister Venus at the US Open this month – it can be as simple as having more left to give.

In basketball star Lauren Jackson’s case the decision to step out of retirement was all down to a happy accident.

Getting back to super star fitness level was no easy task though and the cost and toll it took to re-enter the elite sporting competition was brutal.

Athletes not only face intense training, heightened scrutiny, and huge pressure but also questions about whether they are up for the challenge.

For those returning after a longer break, that is compounded even further.

When boxer Manny Pacquiao announced he was returning to the ring almost four years after his last fight, it raised eyebrows, not least of all because he was facing a much younger rival.

The 46-year-old took on Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship last month. But Pacquiao’s bid to become the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history fell short after he failed to beat his 30-year-old rival in the Las Vegas bout.

Instead Pacquiao and Barrios fought to a majority draw, with one judge giving Barrios a 115-113 win and the other two judges scoring it a 114-114 draw. The result allowed Barrios to retain his WBC welterweight belt.

A Filipino senator from 2016 to 2022, Pacquiao had originally retired from boxing in 2021 while he also ran for president in 2022.

But the former senator isn’t the only athlete to step back into the competitive global limelight and joins sporting elites such as Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps and not to mention Jackson.

Worry, sweat and tears

After being forced to retire the first time in 2016 due to injury, Jackson got back into the game at a competitive level after initially rejoining the gym to get fit and shooting some casual hoops.

“My whole goal was to lose weight gained during Covid so I got back into the gym and it evolved from there,” she said.

“It was never about getting back into high performance. I never anticipated I would go further.”

But what began as some casual court time in Albury, turned into a grand comeback in 2022, with Jackson playing in the Women’s National Basketball League, as well as the Opals.

Physically she would become the strongest she had ever been. If she hit a roadblock or had a meltdown along the way, she moved on.

But that all came at a huge cost both physically and mentally.

“My body was in shock because I was not used to competing at that level,” she said of her return to high level competition.

With small kids to consider, there was also the guilt that came with intense training and being away from home for periods at a time.

Jackson admits retiring the first time was hard and she had visceral emotions about stepping back into the competitive limelight.

“I was worried all the time, about my kids about my parents, about how changing schools would affect them,” she said.

But ironically it wasn’t until she had recovered from injuring her Achilles and breaking her foot that she really hit her full fitness peak and entered “full on rehab mode” coming back even stronger than ever.

The champion athlete was soon working out three times a day, juggling motherhood and other demands.

Comedown mark II: The brutal reality

Following her bronze medal win in the Paris Olympics last year, she stepped back from elite sport – this time for good.

It was no surprise when it came to retiring the second time, it was not easy and the emotional rollercoaster was just as brutal.

“I had a comedown just as hard,” Jackson said.

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“But once I had the Christmas break, got an opportunity with the WBNL, and was spending time with the kids — that was a special time for me.”

She said she will have to monitor her injuries going forward. 

“I love the sport so much but have to remember the impact it had on my body. The physical injuries I got was because of the sport.”

Then there’s the pressure all athletes face — something she does not miss.

“That constant pressure to perform — I can’t handle it anymore and I had to walk away because it’s addictive,” she said.

Jackson remains grateful for every opportunity and is still amazed at what the human body is capable of.

Post retirement 2025, the mother-of-two couldn’t be happier.

Now working as a part-time Special Advisor for the WNBL and also the Head of Women in Basketball at Basketball Australia, there’s not a lot of down time.

But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m having so much fun — post retirement I am busier than ever before,” she said.

Brutal climb back to the top

According to Kevin Filo, a Professor in Sport Management and Event Management in the Griffith Business School at Griffith University, stepping back into an elite level of sport after significant time off was physically tough – even for the best athlete.

The reasons why they did and kept doing so were varied.

“It’s essentially impossible to get into the psychology of these athletes,” he said.

“Rather it’s often a confluence of circumstances.”

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Some athletes adapted to life beyond their sport relatively well, while others had relevancy deprivation, which if pronounced could have “significant impacts on a person’s identity”. 

Prof Filo said many athletes enjoyed connecting with others, as well as the benefits of training and the competitive environment. Those who retired could even miss having a platform.

These days thanks to advances in healthcare many athletes were also able to compete for longer and returning was sometimes not has hard as in years past.

“Advances in health, technology and overall support means many athletes have been able to extend their careers,” he said.

“From a career return perspective this means they can re-enter as well, especially if it’s something they enjoy.”

Power of the mind to have what it takes

While not easy for every athlete, Prof Filo said athletes needed both determination and persistence to push their bodies but  needed to manage expectations.

“One of the reasons they do succeed is because of their ability to push boundaries,” he said.

How quickly an athlete returned and how soon depended on the sport, level of competition as well as the individual.

Likewise when an athlete decided to retire, how each reacted to life after sport would vary, Prof Filo said.

In the case of Manny Pacquiao, a four year break from competition would be harder at 46 than 42.

But success was possible at any age and it was also subjective.

Fellow basketball legend Michael Jordan’s reasons for stepping back into the competitive sporting field were varied and complex.

The now 62-year-old retired not once, but three times from basketball, first in 1993, then in 1999 to pursue a career in baseball. After returning back to basketball he hung up his laces up for good in 2003.

“Michael Jordan’s comebacks was broadly seen as a failure,” Prof Filo said.

“But he had some pretty impressive highlights even if they weren’t as high as they were in the 1990s. In retrospect it was impressive given the amount of time he had off from the game.”