The Death of You: Life After Elite Sport

Michael Phelps, with twenty-eight Olympic medals, said he would not want his children to follow in his footsteps due to the ins and outs of the sport, which frightens him as a parent. This book changes that by using brutally honest interviews with sport stars to break down why this happens.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 184 pages
Publication date: 03 October 2023
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Arguably the greatest Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps, has twenty-eight Olympic medals to his name. When asked if he would like his children to follow in his footsteps, he replied, "Honestly, in a perfect world, I'd say no. Just because I don't want them to live in my footsteps. And I also know everything about it – I know the ins and the outs, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, you know, as a parent, it just – it frightens me.

The truth is that the vast majority of the public don't understand this alarming answer from Phelps. The question as to why so many elite sportspeople fall off the edge of a cliff in life when they retire is often answered in either a too complicated or too simplistic way to give people a meaningful answer. This book changes that. Using brutally honest interviews with sport stars Matthew Hoggard, Paul Walsh, Gail Emms, Tom May, Johnny Nelson, and Clare Shine, Luke Sutton breaks down why this happens for a reader in a way that hasn't been done yet. Anyone fascinated by sport or elite performance in general will be enthralled by this book. There is so much to take from it.

Weight: 264g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399086059