I find it surprising that athletes would choose to make a drastic departure from their prior intentions of fair competition in order to attempt to avoid the ine

I find it surprising that athletes would choose to make a drastic departure from their prior intentions of fair competition in order to attempt to avoid the inevitability of retirement. I don’t find it nearly as surprising that someone would make a bite-sized compromise in order to preserve their livelihood, even though it seems unwise to me. Sport qua job has a different feel than sport qua sport, as a sibling commenter illuminated.