First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.

The world of professional sport is littered with examples of athletes who have defied expectations to succeed at an advanced age. Every career has an expiry date, but an individual who maintains a high level of fitness and retains their drive to succeed can delay the inevitable.

Tom Brady knows how to win American football matches. Although the quarterback’s speed and athleticism have declined in the twilight of his career, the six-time Super Bowl champion’s vision and game-breaking abilities remain unmatched.

The media has poked fun at Brady’s advanced age. When the decorated veteran moved from the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, a local publication went to town over the fact that Brady (43) is older than the franchise’s offensive co-ordinator as well as 10 National Football League (NFL) coaches across the country.

In the lead-up to the divisional playoff on 17 January, the History Channel ran a light-hearted graphic depicting Brady and opposite number Drew Brees as weathered old men with shaggy grey beards. Brady laughed off the gibe, and suggested that Brees (42) was a youngster in comparison.

Both men have achieved a great deal in the NFL over the past two decades. Brady and Brees are the only quarterbacks to have surpassed 72,000 yards and 540 touchdowns. What the recent game between the Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints did confirm, however, is that both are past their best.

That is a broad statement, though. Brady is no longer the player he was in his prime, but he still has what it takes to make a meaningful contribution to his team. The veteran was a picture of poise in the recent playoff and was widely credited for the Buccaneers’ victory.

The contest between Brady and Brees provided some answers about the players’ respective abilities – and prompted new questions about elite sport and athletes of an advanced age. Brady’s performance would have pleased romantics who believe that age is just a number. Brees’s laboured showing, of course, would have given critics further cause to denounce players who push on when they’re no longer in their prime.

Delaying the inevitable

Springbok legend Victor Matfield was 30 when he produced a Man of the Match performance in the 2007 World Cup final. Some may have hung up their boots after such an emphatic success, but the lock pushed on to help the Springboks win the big series against the British & Irish Lions and subsequently the Tri-Nations title in 2009. His influence was patent at the Bulls during that period:  he led the Pretoria-based side to three Super Rugby titles as well as a Currie Cup victory.

Matfield came out of retirement in 2014 to play a leadership and mentorship role, and eventually travelled to the 2015 World Cup at the age of 38. His career finished on a low note after he lost a crucial line-out to opposite number Sam Whitelock in the semifinal against the All Blacks.

A decorated career spanning two decades was certainly not tarnished by that one failure. And, as many opined at a later date, Matfield’s contributions in 2014 and 2015 boosted the development of younger players such as Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth, who went on to win the World Cup with the Boks four years later.

In cricket, some of the greatest players have enhanced their legacies in the latter stages of their careers. Although Don Bradman finished his Test career with a duck – on innings that brought his overall average of 101.39 down to 99.94 – his gargantuan contributions at the grand old age of 39 should not be forgotten.

Indeed, in the preceding Test staged before the finale, Bradman hit 173 not out as Australia completed a world-record chase and took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Ashes series.

In 2013, South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis retired from Test cricket as the third-most prolific run-scorer of all-time. Kallis, who was heavily criticised in the latter stages of his career, scored 2,163 runs at an average of 56.92 after turning 35, and scored his only two double hundreds during this period.

Sachin Tendulkar, who sits at the top of the run-scorers list, scored 12 centuries for India after his 35th birthday.

Australian bowler Glenn McGrath took 120 wickets at an average of 21.16 after reaching the same milestone. Jimmy Anderson, who is still playing for England at the age of 38, surpassed the 600-wicket mark in 2020 to become the most prolific seam bowler in Test history.

LeBron James remains a dominant basketball force at the age of 36. When the Last Dance documentary was released in 2020, basketball fans were reminded about Michael Jordan’s otherworldly talents.

In 1998, a 35-year-old Jordan produced a series of special plays to win a third consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) title for the Chicago Bulls.

Every team benefits from the inclusion of vastly experienced and well-travelled players. These individuals acquire their knowledge and skills over many years of competition. They know what it takes to win the key battles and the cup finals, because they have succeeded and, in some instances, failed many times before.

In a team environment, the veterans are often tasked with relaying this information to younger players who are yet to develop their physical skills as well as the mental strength needed to overcome certain challenges. The value of a veteran cannot be assessed by individual performance alone.

Solo artists

That said, what of the sports where success or failure is determined by a lone individual? It’s interesting to note how many athletes of an advanced age have defeated their younger counterparts, and how in some instances they have continued to win big tournaments.

Roger Federer continues to compete at a high standard despite the fact that he’s closing in on his 40th birthday. The Swiss has won 20 Grand Slams, three of those after the age of 35. Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slams – a record in the Open Era – and is still in the mix at the age of 39.

Rafael Nadal (34) equalled Federer’s Grand Slam record in 2020. It remains to be seen how many big titles he will add to his tally given his long history with injuries. Novak Djokovic, the current No 1 and a relative spring chicken at 33, has already won 17 Grand Slam titles. The Serb is determined to play late into his 30s, and to finish ahead of Federer and Nadal.

Kelly Slater holds two incredible records. The American was the youngest winner of the World Surf League when he claimed the title at the age of 20. In 2011, a 39-year-old Slater became the oldest surfer to finish at the top of the rankings. Slater’s haul of 11 World Surf League (WSL) titles – and indeed his drive and hunger for success – is unlikely to be matched any time soon.

Brady is yet to confirm when he will retire from the NFL. The Buccaneers will face the Green Bay Packers on 24 January, and the winner of that contest will advance to the Super Bowl on 7 February.

The Packers boast their own senior statesman in quarterback Aaron Rodgers (37). No matter what transpires in the penultimate round of the NFL, an ageing quarterback – be it Brady or Rodgers – will star in the Super Bowl.

Neither Brady nor Rodgers will be as quick or as athletic as a younger opponent in that showpiece event. They will count on their composure and their knowledge of the big occasion to prevail.

Every professional career eventually comes to an end. That said, there is no universal age when the ability to excel and win at the elite level is lost.

For Brady and a few others there is still an opportunity to win big trophies, to defy expectations and to rage against the dying of the light. DM168

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