When the World Stops Watching: Life After the Game

by Damian Lawlor

'Uniquely insightful' IAN O'RIORDAN, IRISH TIMES 'A terrific concept, expertly executed' ENDA McEVOY, SUNDAY TIMES As every sportsperson knows, the dream can't go on forever. After years of dedication, sacrifice and single-minded obsession to get to the top, one day it all has to end. When the World Stops Watching tells the real inside stories of what happened next for sixteen Irish sports stars, as they faced the brand-new challenges of normal life. From the highs of Grand Slam rugby, World Cup football, the Olympic Games, European Tour golf and GAA stardom, these born competitors recount the seismic aftershocks of retirement and the effect it had on them, both physically and mentally. The lives of sporting icons can change overnight. This is a searingly honest and compelling account of what life is really like after the game. FEATURING Marcus Horan, Tommy Bowe, Paul Carberry, Niall Quinn, Sonia O’Sullivan, Paul McGee AND MORE

Genres: Sports

Paperback

Published May 27, 2021

Reviews

[Cian Aherne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, spoke a lot to me personally. The calibre and variety of interviewees was also fantastic.

[Emmett Costello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides some insights on a subject that doesn't tend to be covered much - how sportspeople deal with life in retirement. After listening to the very positive reviews on the Second Captains annual book review, I was expecting more from this book. It's slightly underwhelming and I'm not sure it adds anything to the material dealt with in the Paul Byrnes book ('At The End of The Day') published a couple of years ago.

[Ciaran Purcell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting insights into a diverse mix of athletes and their journey through retirement

[Shane Mulcahy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having listened to some very positive reviews of this book prior to Christmas 2020, I was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, I found the book to be a bit of a let-down and it was a struggle to stay engaged. The theme of retirement and how athletes deal with their lives after sport should be a good subject topic, but there just isn't enough of a common thread between the chapters to allow this to be a coherent read.

[Sean O'Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed both the first few and the last few chapters, the problem was the middle! It is too long and repetitive. 16 sports star telling similar stories of the struggles they faced following retirement, a good topic, an unspoken about topic, but could have been better if it were 10.