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Golden oldies Aging stars maintain appeal
Posted: Friday March 17, 2000 11:40 AM
Age is just a state of mind seems to be the message coming out of the sporting scene in the new millenium. The first three months of the 2000s have produced a number of examples of the fact that the figures on the birth certificates of some of sports biggest stars bear no relation to their potential to enthrall and excite just as much as they did in their youth. One example comes from soccer, where the recent world sport headlines have included yards of copy on the arrival of the legendary German libero, Lothar Matthaeus, in Major League Soccer, following his transfer from Bayern Munich to the New York/New Jersey Metrostars. Another notable soccer story featured the arrival in the USA of Bulgarian World Cup veteran Hristo Stoichkov, who's come out of retirement to join the Chicago Fire. And there was also the transfer of ex-Manchester United striker, Mark Hughes, from Southampton to Everton of the English Premier League.
Now at one time, the signing of a trio of players who are 39-, 34-, and 37-years-old, respectively, would have been considered pretty much a joke by any club seeking to reach the top of their domestic leagues. Either that, or nothing more than a publicity coup. Nowadays however, the attitude appears to be different on both sides, with Matthaeus, for example, saying he's in the United States for a new challenge and not just a paycheck, and the players and coaching staff of the Metrostars claiming that enticing such a vastly experienced player to join their ranks means that, far from being a soft option, they're actually evolving into a side of respectable quality. Either way, the veteran comes out of it as a valued commodity not just a celebrity makeweight. One would assume the Chicago Fire is expecting similar things of Stoichkov. Meanwhile, Everton coach Walter Smith, who now has at least four key players over the age of 30 in his starting lineup, laid his cards on the table on the age issue with the following:
"I don't see Mark's age being a problem," Smith said. "In fact he is younger than some of the players here. There are players who train hard, avoid serious injury and go on to play for a long time. Mark is one of them. He can have a big influence on the team and I am looking for him to play for us on a regular basis." And it's not just in soccer where it seems the golden oldies are being seen as having something to offer. This week, I spoke with double Olympic sprint champion Gail Devers, who, at 33, reckons she'll be the oldest sprinter on the track if she makes the U.S Olympic team for Sydney. Is she being taken seriously? She certainly is, with the buzz having already begun about a possible head-to-head with the relatively youthful sprint sensation, Marion Jones. And so it goes on. Mike Tyson, at 33, claiming his best years are ahead of him. Evander Holyfield on the comeback trail at the age of 37. Former Olympic figure-skating champion Dorothy Hamill returning at the age of 43 to take fifth place in the Goodwill Games.
Alberto Tomba and Ingemar Stenmark recently delighting ski fans in Italy in a classic exhibition team event that proved neither had lost any of their competitive edge. Denis Rodman, 38, back in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks... OK that WAS a publicity stunt, but Denis didn't do badly did he?... Well, when he stayed on the court didn't. Anyway, you get my point. From soccer to basketball, skiing to boxing -- and let's not forget tennis, where the Jimmy Connors-inspired Seniors Tour is a proven crowd-pleaser -- age cannot wither them, it seems. Everything old is new again. And, in a world that's increasingly dominated by pubescents in most other aspects of society, that's a pretty refreshing development. Terry Baddoo is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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