History Main / CareerEndingInjury

** Characters in the Byzantine culture group cannot inherit titles if they are blind.

* There's a chance in ''VideoGame/CrusaderKings II'' that a character leading troops into battle may suffer a particularly bad blow to the head that renders them incapable, meaning they'll need a regent if they happen to be the ruler. Either way, they'll be of no use whatsoever for the rest of their (often mercifully short) days.

** One ''Elseworlds'' story called ''Flashpoint'' (Not to be confused with the CrisisCrossover of the same name) centers around Flash taking the bullet for JFK, an act that causes him to be paralyzed from the neck down. This, of course, ends his career as the Scarlet Speedster.

* An infamous plane crash in 1975 killed its pilot, a man named Joseph Farkas, and also ended the careers of professional wrestlers Johnny Valentine and Bob Bruggers. Future legend Wrestling/RicFlair was also badly injured in the crash but was able to continue his career after fixing his broken back. Bruggers could have made a comeback but decided to simply retire instead. "Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods was injured as well but made a comeback, and actually returned to the ring ''two weeks'' after the crash despite being in horrible pain, just to dispel the rumors that he had been on the plane, as he was a Face and Flair, Valentine and Bruggers were heels, and it would have hurt kayfabe for them to have travelled together.

* Wrestling/CoreyGraves' in-ring career was cut short due to concussions. By no means, however, was he done with wrestling, as he would later make his debut at NXT Takeover: R-Evolution as a ringside ''commentator.''

* Wrestling/{{Paige}} had to retire from in-ring competition at only ''25'' because of neck injuries. That, on top of the wear and tear of wrestling as young as 13. However, she returned to the ring in September 2022, nearly 5 years later.

** Heartwarmingly averted a few years later by UCF quarterback [=McKenzie=] Milton, who led the Knights to their breakout 2017 season that set the stage for their upcoming move to the Big 12 Conference. The next season, the Knights were unbeaten going into their regular-season finale against archrival South Florida. UCF won, but lost Milton to an injury pretty much identical to that of [=McCallum=] and Lattimore (the Knights lost their ensuing bowl game). Milton had to undergo emergency surgery to save the leg and nearly lost it a second time. After nearly three years of rehab, and a transfer to Florida State, Milton saw the field again. While he decided not to risk trying a pro playing career, simply playing again was remarkable.

** Magic Johnson was forced into premature retirement in 1991 after discovering that he had HIV/AIDS. He briefly returned in 1996 but eventually decided to retire for good. As of 2022, he is very much alive, and may very well break the world record for the longest lifespan after being diagnosed with AIDS, if he continues to manage.

** Sandy Koufax of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, arguably the most dominating pitcher in MLB since the "Dead Ball Era," was forced to retire at age 30 after developing arthritis in his pitching arm.

** Perennial all-star third baseman David Wright was the Mets' answer to the Yankees' Derek Jeter in the 2000s and 2010s, being the face of their franchise and looking like he was going to be a surefire hall of famer as he entered his 30s. However at just 32 years old, Wright would be diagnosed with spinal stenosis, after which he would only play 77 more games for the rest of his career despite several comeback attempts, and he would ultimately retire at 35 years old, with his prospects of making the hall of fame looking grim.

*** Ernie Irvan ended up [[DoubleSubversion Double Subverting]] this with his near-fatal crash at Michigan in 1994.[[note]]He had suffered a basilar skull fracture (i.e., a break at the base of the skull), the same injury that would claim the life of the elder Dale Earnhardt in 2001.[[/note]] While he did get back into the car by 1996, and even won in 1997 at the same track that almost killed him, the simple fact of the matter was that he just wasn't a championship-level driver after the wreck (he had been in the midst of challenging Dale Earnhardt for the 1994 title before the injury), and several more head injuries after his comeback drove him to retire in 1999.

** Kristina Vogel had a serious cycling accident in June 2018, rendering her paraplegic. This is especially tragic since she was a world-class cyclist that had won several cycling races in her career, including the Olympic Games.

** Creator/TimCurry suffered a stroke in 2012 and has been using a wheelchair ever sinse. Like Michael J. Fox above, he adapted by taking voice roles, with his live-action characters having a WrittenInInfirmity.

** Creator/GordonRamsay was originally tipped for a professional football career with top-ranking Scottish side Glasgow Rangers, but a succession of serious leg and knee injuries in his late teens forced him to give up this dream. He turned instead to professional cooking.

** By the end of the 2010 UsefulNotes/FormulaOne season, Robert Kubica was widely regarded as a rising star and had a contract in place to drive for Ferrari in 2012. Then, in February 2011, he was involved in a rally crash in which the guardrail penetrated the bodywork and nearly severed his arm. The damage left his arm permanently atrophied and, while he was able to resume his rallying career, it was generally agreed that his F1 career was over. He ''did'' manage to make it back into the sport in 2019, but it was clear that he wasn't the same driver anymore, and his comeback lasted only one very disappointing season.

* Such real-life injuries happen often in ProfessionalWrestling: Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin, who continued wrestling for several years after having his neck broken, but the injury limited his moveset, and he was forced to retire or risk (at best) permanent paralysis by the end of his run in 2003), Wrestling/TedDiBiase, Hayabusa, and Wrestling/YoshihiroTakayama are just some, and then there are the injuries that weren't only career-ending, but [[FatalMethodActing life-ending]].

A Career-Ending Injury is a sudden and unexpected injury or illness that causes disability to a person and forces them to give up their ambitions and dreams.

Usually, this trope involves an athlete getting an injury, but the career can be anything that requires physical and/or mental ability. Likewise, what causes the disability can be something other than an injury (for example, a disease) -- the important point is that it prevents the character from achieving their goals by causing a disability.

This is sometimes set up as a twist or a [[TheReveal reveal]], so beware of spoilers.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'', El Dragón's arms being ripped off were speculated to be going to be one according to his audio lore challenge. Due to the [=CWF's=] prohibition on cybernetically-augmented organics in competition, he was forced into retirement against his will immediately after his match with ISIC, while his [[BlackComedy injuries were still fresh and being interviewed by a reporter indifferent to the actual seriousness of the matter instead of being treated]]. Fortunately, though, he was able to eventually squeeze back to the top.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "Extra Innings", Ed Hamner was a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers until he severely injured his left knee during a game, giving him a permanent limp.

* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica,'' [[ActionGirl Sayaka]]'s [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friend]] [[DisabledLoveInterest Kyosuke]] is a violin prodigy, until a hand injury rendered him unable to play. His intense depression (up to an InterruptedSuicide in [[VideoGame/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaPortable the portable game]]) prompts Sayaka's [[DealWithTheDevil contract]] to heal him.

** In the late 2000s, Felipe Massa was touted as a favourite to become Brazil's next Formula One world champion. After a strong campaign with Ferrari in 2008 in which he won six races only to lose the title to Lewis Hamilton by a ''single point'', the team would struggle to adapt to regulation changes in 2009. Massa eventually got to grips with their new car, finishing third at the German GP - but come qualifying for the next round in Hungary, he would be hit in the head with debris from another driver's crash, knocking him out and causing him to slam head-on into a wall, fracturing his skull. He survived, but was out of commission for the remainder of 2009 and come his return to the grid in 2010, no longer seemed capable of the results he achieved beforehand - only scoring a few more podiums for the rest of his time with Ferrari, and having a rather mediocre stint at Williams before calling it quits in 2017.

** There might have been three [[Creator/PeytonManning Manning]] Brothers in the NFL in the 21st century if eldest son Cooper, who was an all-state wide receiver during his high school days in Mississippi and was considered a hot prospect recruit for Ole Miss, hadn't been diagnosed with a spinal condition that ended his playing days.

* ''Literature/ArcaneSniper'' kicks off the story with one and serves as the main motivation. [[FriendlySniper Friendly Sniper]] Ha Leeha gets into an accident when a box of ammunition explodes while he was handling it, damaging his legs' nerves, which gets him discharged and wheelchair bound, nuking his career and dreams from orbit. There is a surgery that will give him the ability to walk again, but the price for it is ridculous. He falls into depression and is only knocked out of it when his cousin gifts him a VR capsule to play the viral MMO Middle Earth, while revealing he can make money through playing it. [[HealthcareMotivation So, Leeha logs in to make enough bank to pay for the surgery.]]

* Creator/GordonRamsay was originally tipped for a professional football career with top-ranking Scottish side Glasgow Rangers, but a succession of serious leg and knee injuries in his late teens forced him to give up this dream. He turned instead to professional cooking.

* The plot of "no expectation of returns" from ''WebOriginal/YouCouldMakeALife'' is about an NHL player trying to help his best friend cope after a wrist injury ends his hockey career.

* Invoked in ''Fanfic/RiskItAll'' by Ren's Soul-Crushing Strike skill, a punch with explosive force that bypasses attempts to guard against it. Its name is apparently derived from how it crushed the dreams of many a martial artist by ruining them. When going out as a vigilante, this attack leaves multiple members of the mob crippled for life, something that [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone makes Ren uncomfortable.]]

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13529170/1/The-Scars-That-Make-You-Whole The Scars That Make You Whole]]'', the Magic Barrier Particles that [[Manga/FairyTail Laxus]] absorbed during the battle with Tartarus are becoming this, which leads him to join to Blue Pegasus (which acts as both a wizard guild and a host club) after Fairy Tail's disbandment so he can change career without too many questions.

* ''Fanfic/EverythingSheDeserved'': Sasha used to be an award-winning cheerleader before her back (and ankle) were slashed open; now she is a social pariah that can barely score a C in PE.