Do You Like a Comeback Story?

Tom Brady recently announced that he was retiring from professional football only to change his mind less than two months later.

Are you a Brady fan? Or do you love to hate him? What was your reaction to his decision to leave and then return to football?

Brady wasn’t the first athlete to come back to his sport after retiring. In “They Just Can’t Quit: Athletes Who Un-Retire,” Remy Tumin writes about players who couldn’t say goodbye:

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

• Which of the comeback stories from the article interested you most, and why?

• Why do you think so many elite athletes — Brady, Michael Jordan and Dara Torres, among others — couldn’t say goodbye to their sports?

• Do you like a comeback story? What memorable returns in the world of sports, or outside it, hold meaning for you?

• Have you ever found it hard to say goodbye to something? Have you ever made your own comeback?

• What life lessons do you see in stories of athletes who return to the games they love?

Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.