In college I was the fastest lightweight rower on the #1 ranked team in the country. I was within a couple seconds of the Olympic time standard when I found out that I had a minor lower back problem and quit the same day. The thing is, the only thing I can't do right now is row competitively, I have no day-to-day health problems. Whereas most of my friends who had similar problems and kept going are now in horrible pain just from walking around and sitting at their desks, and a bunch of them are strung out on drugs as a result.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing I love more than getting to go out and fuck up someone else's day, but I feel like part of being an adult is learning how to do that in ways that further your actual life goals (e.g. through a startup) rather than just spending six hours a day in the gym or whatever.
"Being able to unify your mind and body at a high level in competition... it's one of the most cerebral, peak experiences, and it shapes and develops your character henceforth forever afterwards."
I agree completely. But as Alan Watts famously said, "Once you get the message, hang up the phone."
It's what you love that makes what you do great. It's the same with many things, but with sports it's more apparent.
sports are fun.
I went back and forth on quoting my experience with training and injury above and didn't, but maybe it's worth saying - breaking a few bones in my right hand ended my fencing career, I was broke a tooth training in Krav Maga, and tore some cartilage doing squats with slightly bad form in the gym.
I'd have preferred not to have had those injuries, but I wouldn't give up the lessons I got from my training to not have them, even though all three are a minor annoyance on a semi-regular basis.
Tangential note - I'd recommend epee fencing to anyone here. It's a lot like playing Chess with your body, incredibly cerebral and conducive to excellent thought and flow.
I've never been as locked in as when I came back from down a few touches to tie it up at 4-4 or 14-14... you know that last touch is everything, and your opponent starts thinking "oh no, I could lose this when I was up so much" - in epee fencing, if you have a lead you almost always win, because a draw benefits the leading player and draws are easy to get if going for them - when you come back from a deficit, meaning you're scoring touches and avoiding them getting even a single draw, that final touch you get so locked in, and then winning after being down... nothing else compares. I shiver just thinking about about battling back to even, winner-takes-all... nothing else compares.
If you think sports is about just impressing other people, then I'm guessing you've never played a sport at a high level.
Being able to unify your mind and body at a high level in competition... it's one of the most cerebral, peak experiences, and it shapes and develops your character henceforth forever afterwards.
Ask most competitive athletes who've been injured if they'd go back in time and not play to avoid it, and most wouldn't make that trade.