IT'S HARD TURNING OUT THE LIGHTS...

...The party's over; it was Don Meredith's equivalent of the fat lady singing on Monday Night Football after a team cemented the win. Yes you have to be al little older or a true football and/or Dallas Cowboy Fan to know about this, one of his many antics that probably rankled his colleague and professional in the booth Howard Cosell but you can see it below...

But the hardest thing for any athlete is coming to terms with the end of a career whether short or long because the singular investment of time and energy left no thought or perspective on what's next. A friend of mine has a great quote that says "You're blessing is also your curse." For athletes the blessing is the single minded purpose of giving everything you have, own and know to the game you love. Yet the curse is they really and typically don't know how to do anything else. So when the time comes where the injury is the period at the end of the abrupt sentence or the coach says you've been great but it's time, there is an emptiness that can't be fulfilled with anything else because the word option was never a part of their vocabulary.

Former NBA Player Dave Bing found success in business and politics - Courtesy of Suntimes

So many of us think they have it made; they're finished playing and hopefully they've retained a significant portion of their total revenue and many have. Yes the papers and media are lined with tragedies of investments in friends, families and agent referrals but the truth is the more troubling thought and that is what's next? Dabble in this, experiment in that; even join a fan in his business or invest in one because there are perceived opportunities that combined with your name offer unlimited potential. And while this might be true the one thing they don't offer is a competitive atmosphere that replaces the adrenaline rush that sports gave them. Of the successful players you encounter from time to time, many find their lot in the world of business because it is outright competition fighting for dollars, market share and celebrating client acquisitions. But the pre-cursor to that is having the education or the right people around you, with your interest at hand to ensure success.

Solomon Wilcots is a successful broadcaster with CBS and Sirius Radio

Magic Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, Jamal Washburn, Dave Bing and others have found the formula and right team to drive success exponentially. For others coaching and getting back in the game, somewhere near the field, salvage the connection to their hearts desire. A select few can get into the media but what about the rest? What about the guy that played seven or eight years just being a utility guy or the right fit at every stop along the way for a specific need. He doesn't have the name, or the pedigree; he doesn't have the connections or nearly as many as the big name player so his starting point is at or near the bottom. Half his time is spent convincing people he was in a league that long without someone recognizing his name.

Former Oakland A's pitcher Dave Stewart is now GM of Arizona - picture courtesy of BET

I am not asking for sympathy just perspective on how tough it can be to transition from one lifestyle to another. One where you have complete control and awareness of the situation to one where you feel like an outsider. You've seen and heard the stories where players get arrested for being involved in schemes and drugs and even robbery and I often wondered was it the thrill of ignorance that made them say yes? Was it the closest thing in your mind to a feeling akin to the competitiveness of sports? I don't have the answers but I often think of the average person who transitions from one job to the next; the options are pretty clear and even then we seem a bit intimidated by the process. Even more so the ones who have to now reinvent themselves after a corporate down sizing because they find it frightening. With that mind can you even imagine what an athlete has to be feeling initially? Fear, reinvention, the unknown and most certainly the big one, the how? How do I fit in; how do I handle this new work week. You mean there is no off-season just a few weeks off?

Transitioning from an athlete to a just another person can be cruel; they were once talking about you and now they're asking you about the newer you that pretty much took your job. I know its hard, I've seen it, as guys try to be polite talking about the rookie with all the potential they once had. The commercial used to say life happens fast; but when you're leaving the game it happens slow. You don't know what's next, what to do or how to figure it out. There's no adrenaline rush in reality; the reality is you just have to figure it out. That's the way I see it sitting in The Box Seat. I'm Wayne Box Miller