The career of a sports-person, we are often told, is a short one. Most get ten, maybe 15, years competing at the top if they are lucky. As such the accepted wisdom is that they must take every chance that they can in order to make the most of their time at the highest level, both financially and in their chosen sporting arena. This coupled with the fact that sport in general appears to be increasingly influenced by short-termism, means that the bigger picture appears to be considered less and less.
It is why Raheem Sterling was subjected to such abuse last week having admitted to being fatigued ahead of an England football match and it is why when pole vaulter Holly Bleasdale opted to take a break this season, missing the Commonwealth Games and European Athletics Championships, the reaction was decidedly mixed.
That these are two athletes are still in the relative infancy of their careers is ignored by many, as were the reasons behind their decisions. In both cases it essentially came down to wanting to reduce the risk of injury further down the line – an attempt to ensure an already short career is not brought to a premature end. more
