Another list...

Johnny Unitas comes to mind, Junior Seau is another....

The Rolling Stones also......

If "diminished their careers" is the criterion then I won't say Michael Jordan, because his career wasn't affected by his final years with Charlotte. Pretty much every great athlete had bad final years.

Taking a cue from Mikeya02, I'll say Eric Clapton. He didn't do squat since Cream.

Actually, though it's sad to say, I think Clapton improved a great deal after his son died.

Switching to baseball, Willie Mays. Watching him fall down trying to catch a fly ball with the Mets was sad.

http://www.engrish.com/2002/02/eric-crap…

Clapton post cream is still a great guitarist, but his voice is annoying.

I don't know that it diminishes their career's, but a few guys I remember seeing playing well past their prime were Emmit Smith's as a Cardinal, Jerry Rice as a Seahawk. Alonzo Mourning & Shaq were both hard to watch at the end too

Recently, Steve Nash. Should have retired with the suns. Instead he will be forever associated with that train wreck of a season the Lakers had.

Good thing Juicebox69 had the sense to hang'em up before he became a pale imitation of himself....lol

I'm gonna have to go with my childhood hero Michael Jordan. He had the perfect ending with the Bulls, hitting the game winning shot in the Finals to win his 6th championship. When I heard he was coming back to play on the Wizards, I was screaming through the TV, "Please don't it MJ!!!". He played decent in Washington, but it was nothing like the old MJ we were accustomed to.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Namath. Me, I wouldn't include him since he wasn't a "great"!


A very sad image was in '64, interestingly involving the Steelers. Y. A. Tittle in the end zone.

https://www.google.com/search?site=&sour…

All good picks. The most obvious tho is Ali. Painful to watch him get whupped.

Lucille Ball.

After her classic, each subsequent series got progressively worse.

"Life With Lucy" lasted only 8 episodes

You could throw injuries into the mix and really compile a list. Two that come to mind, Bo Jackson and Ray Leonard.

I'll agree with ranukams choice of Michael Jordan. Not so much that his time playing for the Wizards didn't compare to his time with the Bulls. (wasn't really bad to watch either). The thing is, he had a glorious ending with the Bulls, hitting a game winning shot in the Finals. THAT is the way so many players wish to play their last game. Anything after that pales in comparison.
OT, I like how John Elway retired after winning his second Super Bowl.

Seeing Dolfan in a strip club past his prime, that's pretty sad. But then again he was never in his prime to being with.