By Andrew Stuart

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Satchel Paige once said "How old you how old would you be if you didn't know how you were" A famous quote by a man who pitched a no hitter for Kansas City Athletics in the MLB at age 59 though reports say he could have been anywhere up to 65.

 

That was 1965 and In those days it was not just unusual for a Pro-Athlete to play over the age 40 it was basically unheard of. Though it did happen. Mostly in boxing where some fighters just didn't know when to quit. Though there were the exceptions including Geordie Howe of the NHL who dominated from 40 all the way to 52 years old, George Blanda who played with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL and Willie May's of the MLB who still excelled at 42 years old, now there were plenty of other players during the 30's, 40's 50's and 60's who played at a decent level but if you added them all up you still wouldn't get the same number of Athletes that are excelling over 40 in 2015. They say Satchel Paige had the best mind set of them all and didn't believe in age and only in performance and the one guy I sure would still excel in today's game game no matter how old he was during his playing years.

 

The first Modern Athletes that spring to mind to break the barrier and prove that you can keep excelling over 40 are Kareem Abdul Jabar who at 43 in the Peak of the NBA was still one of the top NBA players. Then there is George Foreman who at 45 became the heavyweight champion of the world. 

 

Even though some might not agree, Michael Jordan still proved to be one of the best NBA players while being over 40, in one game against N.J. on Feb. 21, 2003. He made 18/30 shots and 7/8 free throws in the win. He also had a double-double in the game by grabbing 10 rebounds to with four steals, three assists and a block, in another game Jordan put on a show. Jordan scored 45 points on 18/33 shooting.  He also had six assists and three rebounds with a block and a steal in 44 minutes. As a 40 Year old Jordan averaged 23.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists which is amazing no matter who you are and for the people who don't agree go look at his highlights. 

 

Over the last 15-20 years it has started to the amount of Athletes who have not only competed but excelled over the age of 40 has risen dramatically but over the last couple of years it has really spiked.

 

The new barrier now is we are actually starting to see some Professional Athletes not competing in there 50's and 60's, probably the same amount as we did in the 1980's and 90's of Athletes in there 40's. 

 

Professional cyclist Jeannie Longo won the French national championship at 51, while earlier this year Pro Mountain bike rider 59 year old Ned Overland won the fat bike championships in the US against guys in there 20's, 30's and 40's. 

 

With the life expectancy rising and a new study showing that 50-73 is becoming the new middle age it is expectation that there is going to be Pro Athletes in that age group. And if people can see there are others over 50 doing it and with the correct mindset why can't we have more? Because we can.

 

At this years X-Games in Austin, Texas In BMX Vert, 42-year-old Jamie Bestwick's nine-peat - the first ever at the X Games -- was coupled with the astonishing fact that the other two medalists were also in their 40s. Simon Tabron, 40, took silver, and Dennis McCoy -- three years shy of 50 earned bronze.

No podium in the X Games' 20-year history had been swept by athletes who were all 40 or older.

 

The wonders of improved Fitness, nutrition, modern sports science and mental mindset are such that maybe it's time to think of 40 as the new 30 and not be surprised when you realize just how many more Professional Athletes over 40-year-old's are not just competing but excelling as of 2015.

 

The culture where once someone has hit a particular number has perhaps convinced players in the past they are too old to be meaningful contributors even though that next event or season may have been better than the one before. How many players pulled the pin too early? Believing they were all washed up - not because they felt it or still couldn't excel or even still improve, but because they were told it , mostly by the media so they decided to retire when maybe they had a more than a few more years left in them or more. 

 

There have been a few players - good ones - who have been able to reverse their decision and re-enter the game having retired only to realise after a period that they had a bit of gas left come back and in some cases doing better than they did before. 

 

The 40 year old barrier has been well and truly smashed and it won't be long before there are vast numbers of players deep into their late 30s and early 40's dominating. That's just not old any more - 30 really isn't veteran stage at all. His career has been remarkable and he will, for a while yet, stand as one of the few athletes able to play first-class professional football of any code at the age of 40.

 

The modern Athlete no matter what the sport is equipped to endure. Training is tougher but recovery regimes are better. The culture of excess has largely gone, which means players have a better chance of staying in top condition for longer.

It was supposedly impossible to run a mile in under four minutes, or the 100m in under 10 seconds, or hit a golf ball 350m, or bowl at 160km/h. But barriers are always broken in sport and now seeing professional Athletes in there 40's is starting to become a normality. It come's down to mindset, if people don't realize just how many are out there doing it then they become surprised when they see it. When people realize how many Athletes are currently competing but also excelling it may show them that's it's not just a normality but also it's not to late to follow there own dreams. 

 

40 used to be the barrier but that has been smashed and now it's 50, As Michael Jordan said at his Hall of fame speech 

 

"One day you might look up and see me playing a game at 50," he said. "Don’t laugh. Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion."

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Below is a list of current Pro Athletes over 50 in 2016