Serena Williams’s 2022 Wimbledon Championships lasted longer than her last appearance at the All-England Club. In 2021, she died in tears after slipping on the court and injuring her hamstring.. Having not played for a year, her temper was evident in her error-prone play and her He was promptly sent off 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) by France’s 115th-ranked Harmony Tan.
It was a familiar scene. Last month, Tiger Woods withdrew from the final round of the PGA Championship. His surgically reconstructed right leg could not extend to 72 holes.
In the words of the late Andy Rooney sage, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the faster you go to the end”.
As for the GOATs of their respective sports, Rooney’s ancient proverb applies to their careers. LeBron’s output has yet to drop dramatically, his error rate has dropped to deadly levels as his availability dwindles. Prime LeBron won’t miss the post-season. If he can bring Larry Hughes and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a can of tuna to the Finals, he could lift a bunch of badass vets to the 8th seed.
LeBron James’ seasons are getting shorter and shorter. He played 55 games in 2019, failed to win a post-season title for the first time since 2005, missed 45 of 72 games in 2021, then got a surprise bounce in the first round, then 56 game last season.
LeBron has hinted at his interest in owning an expansion team in Las Vegas. If Expanded scuttlebutt timeline 2025 is correct, he won’t be waiting for Bronny James to find his way into the league after his 40th season in 2024-25. The NBA’s rules on player ownership are harsher than the Constitution’s Document Clause, and no active player can hold a direct or indirect ownership stake in any NBA team.
The all-time Grand Slam leader of men’s tennis Rafael Nadal is at the stage of his career where he can still win Roland Garros, but he has to rest between Grand Slams and get an anesthetic in his leg to keep his legs healthy. Roger Federer, 40, is basically just a top 100 player in honorary status. Novak Djokovic is also not a spring chicken.
Tom Brady seems to have defied the odds, but his return to action at the age of 45 is practically begging for some modesty. He may have broken completely. Losing to the final champions after making that inspiring comeback was nothing to sneeze at. Instead of ending on a high note, he couldn’t resist the call to fly closer to the sun and risk crashing into Icarus’s tomb.
Maybe he’s talking to the same herbalists who developed Aaron Rodgers’ “vaccine substitute,” Brady might think he’s immune to time, but in the end he’s will also be the NFL’s equivalent of Michael Jordan slouching across the field in Wizards blue and gold.
Aaron Rodgers may not be far behind him in pursuing his career-survival dream of living off the grid without those nasty vaccine-tracking chips in his hands.
Watching previous GOATs that didn’t make the quarterfinals or later stages ever happened is like watching a veteran runner get into more car accidents until he takes away the keys.
Williams’ early exit from Wimbledon is perhaps not surprising. She is entering the downhill phase of her career. Aging gracefully is a luxury and a testament to the competition even long enough to earn that right.
Williams and Woods will be a tough act to follow. The WTA is struggling to fill the void. The PGA Tour on which Woods made billions is about to lose its monopoly on golf. And then what happened? Are we stuck with Rory McIlroy and Scott Scheffler fooling it at the Dogecoin Invitational? The NBA and NFL will be fine in the end. Patrick Mahomes seems poised to make his own mark on the league, but conditions aren’t as ideal for him as they are for Brady, who spent 20 years as captain of Bill Belichick’s ship. The association may last a few years after the LeBron/post-Warrior reign while working-class superstars seek supremacy. A new GOAT candidate will emerge from the post-LeBron primaries.
After nearly two decades of watching these GOATS emerge and display like clock hands, there are uncertain dates ahead.
