# 49ers' Chris Borland retiring at 24 - say what? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 17, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242 "2015-03-17T23:13:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/21 "2015-03-18T01:10:09Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The dream of playing professional sports is so powerful. Especially for the majority of us that never played beyond college. Its such a rare privilege to play professionally. A gift. Just like being a professional musician with top ten chart hits. Its a combination of talent and luck to be among the very best in your sport or music. It’s not a gift anymore than it is a gift to work at Harvard, star in a TV show, be a Governor of a state, of start a successful tech company. It’s a job, and other people mythologizing it doesn’t mean someone should be pressured to do something they don’t want to do. Doubly so when this “gift” comes with severe health consequences. It’s funny because Borland’s decision comes on the heels of many recent articles (and personnel decisions) documenting how the once heralded RB position is basically worthless due to the high injury rate and fairly low performance variance. Smart people are starting to realize that playing in the NFL is just not worth the risks given the uncertain (and diminishing) rewards. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/22 "2015-03-18T01:39:40Z")
> [@Tread](#): > > Another way to look at is, he > “He’s trained himself for 7 years (counting high school and college) to…” get a free education, and a degree in a field he loves ( History), and before he started his career in his chosen field, he took a year off to work part time at a job he excels in and earn a million dollars. Not to mention three weeks of milking the talk show circuit and a magazine deal. Criminy, if my kid could make a $1M+ his first year out of college before settling into a career less likely to require neurology consults? We’d both be taking a gap year to Europe. Maybe even together. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/23 "2015-03-18T01:45:12Z")
> [@Tread](#): > > Another way to look at is, he > “He’s trained himself for 7 years (counting high school and college) to…” get a free education, and a degree in a field he loves ( History), and before he started his career in his chosen field, he took a year off to work part time at a job he excels in and earn a million dollars. He also qualified for the minimum pension starting at age 55 - 15300/yr in current dollars. If he lives to 75 that’s 306k in extra lifetime income for doing just one year. Along with the extra health benefits to deal with the football related issues (that may be there from college play) one and done probably maximized his benefit to risk. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/24 "2015-03-18T05:06:44Z")
If the guy had a series of head injuries it would make sense. But he hasn’t and he kinda comes across as a pussy and a quitter who let down his team who now wasted a third round pick one week into free agency and now have to scramble to replace him, as well as his teammates. . . . . . . Yeah, you bet your ass you read that right: PUSSY. QUITTER. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Winkler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@The\_Winkler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Winkler)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/25 "2015-03-18T06:32:20Z")
I know of Borland only because the 49ers are my team. And honestly, I’d want out of that sinking ship, too, if I was a player. I’ve followed the 49ers since the DeBerg era and things look _really_ bad right now. We’re stuck with one of the worst owners in the NFL, Jed “Joe Thomas” York. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/26 "2015-03-18T06:56:05Z")
It’s pretty incredible they chase off a coach that takes them to several conference championship games and the Superbowl. Then they lose key players. Now they’ve wasted a draft pick on Borland that just quits after a season. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/27 "2015-03-18T11:20:34Z")
The idea that someone could be criticized for taking an objective look at the risks and rewards of an occupation and decide that it’s not for him is a bit mind-boggling. He has other employment opportunities and he values things that football might take away from him. I suspect you’ll see more of this in the future, mainly from young athletes who have other options. There will be plenty of players whose options are more limited that will play no matter what the risks. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/28 "2015-03-18T11:25:56Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Now they’ve wasted a draft pick on Borland that just quits after a season. I’m a Lion’s fan… want me to start listing first round choices that contributed far less while costing more? I only wish one pretty strong year from a third rounder was the definition of wasting a pick. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/29 "2015-03-18T12:05:59Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > If the guy had a series of head injuries it would make sense. > > But he hasn’t and he kinda comes across as a pussy and a quitter who let down his team who now wasted a third round pick one week into free agency and now have to scramble to replace him, as well as his teammates. > . > . > . > . > . > . > Yeah, you bet your ass you read that right: PUSSY. QUITTER. I think they should all quit and that you should stop watching. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/30 "2015-03-18T12:06:45Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > If the guy had a series of head injuries it would make sense. > > But he hasn’t And how do you know that? Guy’s likely been playing football since he was 10 years old - you got a good source on his pediatric medical files? > [@](#): > > Yeah, you bet your ass you read that right: PUSSY. QUITTER. Oooh, so edgy. Here’s an Internet Tough Guy award. It’s pink. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/31 "2015-03-18T12:40:34Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > And how do you know that? Guy’s likely been playing football since he was 10 years old - you got a good source on his pediatric medical files? He reported that he’s had two diagnosed concussions, and one of those was from playing soccer. He may have had more that went undiagnosed. He may have been more influenced by the results suggesting that multiple small hits, none significant enough to cause a concussion, accumulate to cause long term problems. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/32 "2015-03-18T13:24:52Z")
Just want to say this thread could be sent to any talking head that is “worried about the future of football”. Also it’s easy for anyone to who doesn’t know what an nfl player goes through every year (day practically) and call them out I’ll reserve judgement on the guy because I have no idea what he has to go through every day. Good for him making his own decisions in life though ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/33 "2015-03-18T14:28:16Z")
I’m really surprised at the number of people, in this thread, other threads on this board, and elsewhere on the Internet, questioning the reasoning (to say nothing of the “manliness”) of Borland. Depending on the position they play, NFL players can be in the equivalent of multiple 30-mph car crashes every Sunday (and every Saturday during their NCAA careers, and Fridays during their high school careers). Those sorts of hits add up. It’s a much different game than it was for the first Super-Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers team, which someone mentioned in another thread as mostly being hale and healthy today. At around 300 pounds, NFL defensive linemen weigh on average 50 pounds more than they did in the late 1960s, but even a 335-pounder (an outlier in weight) can still run a 40-yard dash in less than five seconds and deliver a helmet hit with [more than 8 tons of force](http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/01/31/170764982/are-nfl-football-hits-getting-harder-and-more-dangerous). Yes, Borland is forfeiting a large amount of potential earnings – but what is one’s quality of life worth later in that life? To \*\*aceplace57 \*\*and others, I ask, how much money is it worth to be able to remember close family members’ names when you’re in your 50s? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/34 "2015-03-18T14:42:33Z")
Good for Borland. There is something to be applauded when someone decides to place his health and wellbeing before money. Quality of Life isn’t directly tied to money - it’s about time folks realize that. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/35 "2015-03-18T16:39:46Z")
Borland was guaranteed “only” $2.2 million if he continued to play through the 2017 season - about $570k a year. Considering the average NFL career is about six years, the odds are that he would have about two years after his base contract to really cash in. Meanwhile, he seems to be interested in going into sports management. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if he makes more money with a career in that line of business than as an NFL player, and with no risk of debilitating injury (brain or otherwise). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/36 "2015-03-18T17:00:35Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > The idea that someone could be criticized for taking an objective look at the risks and rewards of an occupation and decide that it’s not for him is a bit mind-boggling. He has other employment opportunities and he values things that football might take away from him. I suspect you’ll see more of this in the future, mainly from young athletes who have other options. There will be plenty of players whose options are more limited that will play no matter what the risks. The OP does think that “[Doctors have become the nanny police for the NFL](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=712735)” so it’s not really surprising that he thinks this kid is ruining his life for not giving up his future brain function for a couple million dollars. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/37 "2015-03-18T17:15:24Z")
It’s NOT concussions that cause most of the brain damage and associated problems that CTE patients suffer toward the end of their lives. It’s repeated head impacts. Obviously concussions are the worst of the bunch, but sub-concussive impacts accumulate. Even soccer players who were known for heading the ball a lot are being diagnosed with this sort of brain injury, and so are rugby players. > **[The Cost of the Header](https://www.newyorker.com/sports/sporting-scene/cost-header)** > > Like football and other contact sports, soccer is following its own particular playbook of denial, anger, and bargaining when it comes to brain injuries. American football is probably the worst of the lot- you see a LOT more ex-NFL players dealing with the cognitive and emotional problems associated with this sort of brain damage than you do ex-soccer players, but you do see ex-soccer players with the same kinds of problems. Borland’s just bright enough to realize that some cash and a few years of glory aren’t worth exacerbating what could already be there. I commend him for having the sense to give it up. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/38 "2015-03-18T18:54:56Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > The idea that someone could be criticized for taking an objective look at the risks and rewards of an occupation and decide that it’s not for him is a bit mind-boggling. He has other employment opportunities and he values things that football might take away from him. I suspect you’ll see more of this in the future, mainly from young athletes who have other options. There will be plenty of players whose options are more limited that will play no matter what the risks. Exactly. I think you’ll see people who are smart enough to see sports as just being a part of their life and not the sole reason for their existence. It makes sense to use sports to get through college and set yourself up. Chris Borland isn’t ending his life. Like most people who are 24 years old, he’s just starting out on his life. There are sadly some other people who are unable to see life beyond sports. Their life ended whenever they left that last team. So at 18 or 22 or maybe 30, their life was over. For those people who can’t find any meaning in the decades ahead after they stop playing, I suppose it makes sense to destroy yourself for just one more season. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/39 "2015-03-18T20:10:51Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > And how do you know that? Guy’s likely been playing football since he was 10 years old - you got a good source on his pediatric medical files? According to the articles I have read on the story, there’s no concussion history there. > [@](#): > > Oooh, so edgy. Here’s an Internet Tough Guy award. It’s pink. Im not sure how Im being a “tough guy”. Have I threatened someone? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242/40 "2015-03-18T20:15:39Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Im not sure how Im being a “tough guy”. Have I threatened someone? > [@](#): > > Yeah, you bet your ass you read that right: PUSSY. QUITTER. That’s pretty much the definition of Internet Tough Guy, something you’d never say to Borland’s face. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/49ers-chris-borland-retiring-at-24-say-what/715242.md?page=3)