A common question asked to any and all twenty-something’s in the world is "what are you going to do now?" This question begins being asked as a particular twenty-something is nearing college graduation, and continues until they have secured a career-type job and are well on their way to that ever-elusive success. For your everyday run-of-the-mill Olympic softball player, it really is no different. Everyone wants to know what our plans will be next year, after the Olympics. People cannot fathom that an Olympic athlete would actually want to continue training, and that it is a choice we make. It seems that the common perception is that we are dying to get a real job and cannot wait to get to the 9-5-desk job.

Well_things couldn’t be more far from the truth.

The world of an Olympic athlete (much like that of a professional athlete, minus the financial perks) is as much a lifestyle as anything else. It may be hard to imagine that an athlete’s training and competitions are their jobs, and that their salaries and bonuses are very much dictated by how well they perform their jobs. You can bet that a talented, smart, and hungry individual will be paid handsomely in the business world, assuming of course that they perform their job well and make money for their respective company. And while they may be valuable to ABC Inc., they are also quite dispensable once their job production drops or there is someone more talented, smarter, and hungrier that comes along.

And so it is with the sports world.

There are always young, fast, and talented athletes emerging, wanting (well, actually expecting) to beat you out for a spot on the team. They are confident and often cocky, and have been working their whole lives for a shot to make it, and you stand in their way.

My comparisons between sports and business continue: there are always young, cocky whipper-snappers who think they could run the business, and are chomping at the bit to get your job and do that job better than it has ever been done. Or at least they think that is how it will happen. But in their minds, they truly believe that their Harvard undergraduate degree, internship at Trump International, and MBA from Columbia makes them ready to take over the planet.

And so it is with the sports world.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that young players aren’t worthy of selections and do not stack up with veterans in a given sport. That is definitely not the case. I was once a young rookie trying to make the Olympic team. I still remember those days and like to think that I deserved to make the 2000 Team, regardless of my age and relative inexperience. Rather, I am trying to explain that my career as an Olympic athlete is very parallel to what my career might have been (or might be) in Corporate America.

I try to imagine my life after softball, and it will be very different from the life I lead right now. Or will it?

True, my wardrobe will be very different, my knees less scabbed, my body less sore. I won’t likely get as much use out of my iPod or my portable DVD player, my cell phone bill won’t be as high, and I’ll see my husband much more often. Or will I?

This past month, I worked for ESPN at the Women’s College World Series, which I enjoyed tremendously. I spent one of our precious weeks off in Oklahoma City, providing color commentary for ESPN’s broadcasts of the WCWS.

I was away from my husband, using my cell phone and computer to take care of my business. I was tired from the long hours of research and the mental fatigue of live broadcasting. I knew I was lucky to have the job, so I worked hard to give my best performances, hoping that ESPN will hire me again in the future for the WCWS and other broadcasts.

I often think that broadcasting could be my next future, once my playing days are done. I enjoy the work, the challenge, the thrill of witnessing and talking about sports moments. It really would be a dream job.

But then I look at the reality of it all - the logistics. Broadcasting is an extremely competitive field, much like anything entertainment-related. There are many young, talented, and hungry people whom dream of being the next Jim Nantz, Bob Costas, John Madden, or Pam Ward. They have dedicated their lives to their craft, made personal sacrifices to achieve their dreams. They are pioneers in their profession, and have made names for themselves in the broadcasting world with a combination of talent and hard work.

And so it is with the sports world.