It is the end of an era in the sporting world. Every season players from every sport hang up the metaphorical cleats and call it quits on their careers. However, 2022 was the beginning of the trend of some of the most beloved and successful athletes in their sports history who have begun retiring. 

In 2022 alone, Serena Williams (with a caveat), Tom Brady (who unretired not too long after), Albert Pujols, Roger Federer, Sue Bird and Mike Krzyzewski retired. With so many notable names stepping away from their sports, the guard of who is on top is certainly shifting. 

Other sports will soon lose members of their respective Greatest of All-Time discussions as Brady, who unretired last year, retired again in 2023. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the twilight of their careers; and finally, LeBron James, an undisputed top two All-Time NBA player at a minimum, has only a few short years left. 

All of these retirements are important as it is who current-age college students grew up watching and admiring. When these athletes were at their best, those college-age students looked up to them with heavy admiration. 

So, to commemorate these players, let’s look at their legacy and broad impact: 

Serena Williams 

Starting with Williams, her retirement does come with the caveat that she has expressed interest in potentially returning to playing tennis again and that this retirement is rather a step away. 

For her career, she won 73 singles titles, 23 doubles titles, four Olympic Gold Medals and more Grand Slam titles than anyone else. 

With her success and the fact she was succeeding as a Black woman in tennis, Williams changed how many young Black women viewed tennis. 

“I play because I saw somebody who looked like me dominating the game,” professional player Coco Gauff said.

Tom Brady

Brady is not only the greatest NFL player in history, but he is also one of the greatest athletes in any sport in terms of personal accomplishment and success. After retiring following the 2021 season, he returned 40 days later to play one more season. 

Being the most accomplished quarterback in NFL history is certainly an accomplishment, as he has the most passing yards in a career (89,214), passing touchdowns (649), completions (7,753), attempts (12,050) and most importantly, most Super Bowl rings (seven). 

Albert Pujols 

Pujols retired after spending 22 years in the MLB and being a three-time MVP and two-time World Series Champion. With his experience and statistical output, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he is first eligible for the Hall.

His career slash line was a .296 AVG/.374 OBP/.544 SLG with 703 HR (fourth all-time), 2,218 RBI and 3,384 hits. With all of his consistent production throughout the years, he accumulated 101.6 WAR, the 29th-highest mark in the history of the league. 

His impact goes far beyond the field. Coming from the Dominican Republic, other Dominican players, such as Juan Soto, have described him as “like a dad to us.” He also has continuously worked with members of the Down Syndrome community while playing with the Los Angeles Angels, according to Sports Illustrated. 

Roger Federer 

Another tennis legend called it a career in 2022, as on the male side of play, Federer ended his career as one of the most accomplished players in the history of the sport. He won 20 single Grand Slam titles, the third most all-time. 

He also spent a record 237 consecutive weeks as the No.1 ranked male tennis player by the Association of Tennis Professionals, apart from the 310 total weeks he spent at the top, according to Tennis Head.

His legacy includes nearly 20 years of community service and charity work. Through the Federer Foundation, he has worked on focusing on supporting children’s education in South Africa and Switzerland. 

Sue Bird 

The GOAT of the WNBA ended her career as the player with the most career All-Star appearances (13), games played (580), assists (3,234) and minutes (18,079).

She spent her entire career in Seattle with the Storm, winning four WNBA Championships, most recently in 2020. Ending her time playing professionally is the final chapter in the career of the brightest star the WNBA has ever seen, a legacy that will not soon be forgotten. 

Coach K 

Krzyzewski, better known as Coach K, coached the Duke Blue Devils from 1980–2022, going 1,129–309 and winning four NCAA Championships (second all-time). He also had the most all-time Final Four appearances (11) and NCAA Tournament wins (77), as well as winning five ACC and three Naismith Coach of the Year Awards. 

He has created a culture of success and collegiate domination, as well as coaching several players that went onto the NBA and had successful careers. His legacy will remain as one of the greatest college coaches of all time. 

LeBron/Messi/Ronaldo 

Three other players at the top of the all-time rankings of their sport will be stepping away in the coming years. Messi and Ronaldo are two of the most accomplished international players in European Football in its history and both of them are at the end of their playing careers. 

In the U.S., LeBron could theoretically retire at any point, as he is in his 20th season. However, he has expressed interest in playing with his son, who is draft eligible in 2024. If he plays that final year with his son, that means he probably only has a few more seasons left in the tank before calling it a career.