At age 50, hall of famer Nancy Lieberman is making WNBA headlines for returning to shoot hoops.
Nancy Lieberman won her first Olympic medal at age 18 in 1976. More than 30 years later, she's returned to the game for a 7 day contract with the Detroit Shock. The contract is the result of a short-staffed team following the suspension of five other Shock players.
The whole Nancy Lieberman ordeal is getting a lot of coverage, but she isn't the fisrt female setting a new standard for 'keeping it real' at an older age. Just a week ago, it was Danielle Torres making headlines for being a 41 year old Olympic swimmer.
50 is the New 30
Nancy Lieberman in the WNBA
Trend Themes
1. Age Diversity in Professional Sports - The success of Nancy Lieberman and Danielle Torres in sports at an older age creates potential opportunities for greater age diversity in professional sports.
2. High Performers Defying Age Stereotypes - Lieberman and Torres' success in their respective sports at an age considered 'too old' indicates possible disruptive innovation opportunities for aging-related products and services.
3. Redefining Retirement Age Through Sports - The success of Lieberman and Torres could potentially disrupt traditional age-related career expectations, leading to new retirement age norms and opportunities in a variety of industries.
Industry Implications
1. Sports - The sports industry could address the need to create more opportunities for age diversity in professional sports, including creating more leagues for older athletes or incorporating older athletes in existing teams.
2. Health and Wellness - The health and wellness industry can create innovative products and services specifically designed for older athletes to help them maintain good health and fitness levels for sports participation.
3. Retirement Planning and Investment - The retirement planning and investment industry may need to adjust products and services to account for people's changing career and retirement age expectations, as Nancy Lieberman and Danielle Torres could potentially disrupt traditional age-related career expectations.