There’s No Playbook for What’s Next

The next play?

There’s no playbook.

Not for this part.

There’s a silence that settles in after the game ends.

It doesn’t always show up right away. Sometimes, it’s masked by relief. No more 6AM lifts, no more coach’s critiques, no more juggling school, work, and a performance schedule that barely left space to breathe. Other times, it arrives fast and heavy: an abrupt absence where structure and identity used to be.

And then come the questions:

Who am I now?

Where do I belong?

Does any of it still matter?

No one really prepares you for the way people stop asking. Stop checking in. Stop inviting you into the spaces you used to live in, work in, thrive in. You’re no longer the first thing they think of when an opportunity comes up. The next cycle of athletes draws and requires their attention. They assume you’re “moving on.” Or that you’ve already moved. And it’s not malicious in its intent, but it’s sharp in its sting.

Transition never works that cleanly. Life never progresses the way we expect. That’s part of the excitement, the allure, the joy. But that doesn’t make the purgatory of not knowing “what’s next?” any less daunting.

Sometimes, it leaves you stuck between chapters…with all the feelings and none of the language.

‘Maybe I’ll go back to school or start a business!’ you say—desperate to find a new home for your passion, drive, relentless pursuit of better than yesterday…

And sometimes, it’s just silence. A disorienting silence that makes you question your worth, your direction, your relevance, your resilience.

And in that silence, it’s easy to believe you’ve lost your value.

But here’s the truth: you haven’t.

Your experiences didn’t disappear when the uniform was turned in or put into the back of your closet. The lessons didn’t evaporate just because the team group chat went quiet. And the impact you’re capable of—through your leadership, your perspective, your story—still matters.

You still matter.

Even when the game moves on.

That’s part of what we’re trying to build through Sport ExtendED:

A space where athlete is still a relevant part of your identity.

A space where the person is bigger than performance.

A space that says: your journey, your growth, your contributions still belong here.

We extend the care.

We extend the community.

We extend the invitation to come as you are; even when you’re not sure who that is yet.

Maybe you’re in that silence right now. Or maybe you know someone who is. Either way, here’s your reminder:

The end of one game isn’t the end of your purpose.

It’s the start of something new—something still unfolding, still worthy, still important.

You don’t need a playbook to begin again.

Just a community that believes you still have something to give.

That’s the vision behind Sport ExtendED:

A space where lived experience is enough.

Where stories matter.

And where athletes—former, transitioning, or still in it—can explore what comes next, without needing all the answers first.

It starts small.

But it starts here.