Why do we do it? For individual and group achievement? For national pride? To get into the school of our choice? The question about whether a sporting career is suitable for individuals in a highly–competitive, paper-obsessed, city state with a tiny domestic fanbase is at the fore again. A society that prizes speed, efficiency and relentless progress has never quite been able to embrace the long-termism needed to truly cultivate a sporting culture. Meanwhile, as inequality has grown over the decades, arguably so has the gap between well-resourced sports, like swimming, and less-resourced ones, like football. And it’s never quite clear what sportspeople are expected to do after they’re too old to compete. Post-career employability reveals a lot about whether our society values sportspeople as assets or liabilities. How can Singaporean society boost interest in local sports, support our sportspeople, and facilitate their long-term careers so as to become a genuine sporting nation? May, Ting and Shyam will be in conversation to help us unpack these issues.