ABSTRACT
George Koonce’s idea of developing a new playbook, in fact, suggests quite the opposite of disengagement. Engagement is the establishment of social bonds in the areas of work, family relations, and friendship patterns, with individuals committing to the process to differing extents. Ample testimony suggests that pro athletes often find retirement acutely painful. The experts running programs for former pro athletes fully recognize the engagement challenges their clients face, knowing that many of them need to develop a new, focused approach, learning to avoid the set of previously listed habitual pitfalls. A very few ex-athletes have access to a privileged set of business connections, for instance, working relations with prominent companies producing highly lucrative deals. In MLB some general patterns about ex-players who become managers and coaches are apparent. This chapter focuses on pro athletes’ retirement from elite leagues, most team players never reach such exalted heights.
