Middle-Aged Sports: What to Do When Things Go Off the Rails 8-19-25 - Becker Business

Summary4 min read

Becker Business Podcast

Episode: Middle-Aged Sports: What to Do When Things Go Off the Rails (8-19-25)

Host: Scott Becker
Date: August 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Becker takes a humorous and self-reflective look at the realities of being a middle-aged amateur athlete. He shares personal stories from recent tennis and golf games that went awry and explores the broader question: what do you do when things go off the rails—not just in sports, but in business and life. Throughout the episode, Scott invites listener participation and maintains his signature candid, relatable tone.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Middle-Aged Athlete’s Reality

Transition from "tough guy" sports:
Scott opens with an honest confession about the shift from high-impact, "tough guy" sports (like marathons and ice hockey) to gentler, more social sports such as tennis and golf.
- "I am very much the average middle aged athlete. It’s really embarrassing. I’ve moved to primarily playing country, country cup sports like tennis and golf." [00:10]
- He admits to becoming a “caricature” of what he once mocked.

When the Wheels Come Off in Sports

Golf frustrations:
- Scott describes a recent golf game where he “had a first great front nine and then the wheels totally came off on the back nine.” [00:38]
- He poses the question: "What do you do? Do you just take it with a grain of salt? Do you go home and take your anti anxiety pills? How do you handle it when the wheels come off?" [00:45]
Tennis challenges:
- He shares a similar story from a tennis morning:
  - "Couldn't hit a ball. My excuse is my racket string from my racket broke. I was using a demo, couldn’t quite find the feel and the confidence…" [01:09]
- Scott reflects on whether there’s anything you can actually do to turn things around mid-game.

Parallels to Business and Life

Scott draws a clear line from mid-game sports struggles to similar moments in business when “the wheels aren’t going in the right direction.” [01:30]
- He frames the discussion as universally relevant: "Maybe the thing is true of many different things…"
- The question for listeners: how do you adjust, change course, and recover when things go sideways?

Audience Engagement

Interactive Giveaway:
- Scott offers a $25 Amazon gift card to the first three listeners who text him suggestions for handling things “when the wheels come off.” [01:50]
- Direct call to action: “If you text me with a suggestion… Scott, here’s an idea on what to do when the wheels come off… might be just cool. Have a beer at the local brewery…” [02:01]

Scott’s Suggested Solution

He half-jokingly recommends simply relaxing and having a beer with friends at a local brewery as possibly “the best of all pieces of advice.” [02:09]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On middle age sports:
- “I've become, you know, a character of everything I laughed at when I was younger. But it is what it is.” [00:18]
On mid-game collapse:
- “We had a first great front nine and then the wheels totally came off on the back nine.” [00:38]
On excuses and confidence:
- “My excuse is my racket string… broke. I was using a demo, couldn’t quite find the feel and the confidence…” [01:09]
On handling failure:
- “Do you just take it with a grain of salt? Do you go home and take your anti anxiety pills?” [00:45]
On business and sports parallels:
- “Similarly in business, when the wheels aren’t going in the right direction, how do you readjust change, figure out what to do?” [01:30]

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:10 - Embracing country club sports as a middle-aged athlete
00:38 - The golf round: strong front nine, disastrous back nine
00:45 - Coping with collapse: strategies and self-talk
01:09 - Tennis mishaps and confidence issues
01:30 - Tying sports struggles to business and broader life lessons
01:50 - Listener challenge and Amazon gift card giveaway
02:09 - Scott’s favorite way to cope: visit the local brewery

Tone & Takeaway

Scott Becker brings humor and honesty to the frustrations of aging both in sports and business. The episode is relatable, engaging, and leaves listeners reflecting on their own strategies for rebounding when “the wheels come off”—whether on the back nine or in the boardroom. The invitation for audience tips adds a communal, supportive flavor to the conversation.

[Ad sections, podcast intro, and outro content omitted for clarity and focus on the main discussion.]

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
This is Scott Becker with the Becker Business podcast and the Becker Private Equity podcast. Today's discussion is middle aged sports. What do you do when the wheels come off? So here's the deal I've had. At the end of the day I am very much the average middle aged athlete. It's really embarrassing. I've moved to primarily playing country, country cup sports like tennis and golf. I've become, you know, a character of everything I laughed at when I was younger. But it is what it is. I'm no longer running marathons, I'm not playing ice hockey. I'm not doing any of the things that made me feel like more of a tough guy. And now I've, you know, rebelled down to or fallen down to middle aged country cup type sports like tennis and golf and so forth and it's just embarrassing. But, but what do you do when the wheels come off? So I've been having a better and better golf season. The index in golf went down a couple points. Doing better they've been doing. But then on Saturday had a round, we had a first great front nine and then the wheels totally came off on the back nine. What do you do? Do you just take it with a grain of salt? Do you go home and take your anti anxiety pills? How do you handle it when the wheels come off? Is there anything you do midway through the game to try and fix it and change it? Same thing happened to me in Smart in tennis this morning. And again I'm an avid tennis player, not great but fine and, and you know, this morning was playing in a drill type game and so forth and couldn't hit a ball. My excuse is my racket string from my racket broke. I was using a demo, couldn't quite find the feel and the confidence but, but the real question is are there things that you could do when the wheels come off? How do you turn it around when the wheels come off? And it can be true not just in middle aged sports where it happens to me often because you know, I'm an okay athlete, not not magnificent but fine. And similarly in business, when the wheels aren't going in the right direction, how do you readjust change, figure out what to do? Maybe the thing is true of many different things but anyways, that's the concept for today. If you text me with an A suggestion, what do you do when the wheels come off? And you're one of the first three people to text me with a suggestion at 773-766-5322 we'll send you a $25Amazon gift certificate we'll send to the first three people that text me. Scott, here's an idea on what to do when the wheels come off. You know, it might be just cool. Have a beer at the local brewery that's nearby there. One of my favorite places that might be the best of all pieces of advice. Thank you for listening to the Becker Business Podcast, the Becker Private Equity Podcast tomor and hopefully we'll rebound. Well, thank you very, very much for listening.