A multitude of all–time great athletes have withstood the test of time, continuing their passions and legacies within the professional sports world. However, as the next generation of athletes creates new stories and rises to fame, prior generations hang up their jerseys and conclude their professional careers.

Over their long–lasting careers, both baseball legend Albert Pujols and tennis legend Serena Williams have transformed their respective sports. Nonetheless, their legacies extend beyond solely their accomplishments within the sports domain, and they can continue to impact society after their professional stories have come to a close.

In 2022, both Pujols and Williams are expected to step away from their professional fields.

“As a sports fan, it makes you feel sad because you want them to keep playing forever,” said Anaheim Angels announcer Mark Gubicza. “You’re inspired by them, you’re inspired by their work ethic [and] you’re inspired by their competitiveness, but we always say [that] ‘Father Time always wins.’ No matter what, you’re going to have to walk away at some point.”

Not only are Pujols  and Williams connected by their off–the–field contributions to society and their status as legends within the sports world, but they are also connected to each other through a coincidental statistic arising back in 2001, dating back to Pujols’s rookie season with the Cardinals.

On Aug. 29, 2001, Pujols hit a home run and Williams won a match in the U.S. Open. Similarly, on Aug. 29, 2022, amidst Pujols’s final season with the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit a home run, while Williams once again won a match at the U.S. Open, according to NBC Sports.

“When you look at both of them [and] their work ethic, you just don’t achieve [that],” said Gubicza. “Kobe Bryant was the same way: … focused … To be that good, you have to have that drive, and that’s what kept them going for all these years.”

Over the course of Pujols’s 22–year career in the MLB, he has recorded a batting average of .296, over 3,300 hits and an on–base percentage of .379 according to Baseball Reference. However, many sports fans believe Pujols’s most impressive statistic is his home run count.

Throughout the final stretch of the MLB regular season, Pujols was inching closer and closer to the massively esteemed 700 Home Run Club. Only three players in MLB history have ever reached this monumental milestone. With the clock ticking, sports fans from around the world were watching with anticipation to see whether or not Pujols would accomplish this goal before retirement. On Sept. 23, Pujols hit both his 699th and 700th home runs at Dodger Stadium, where his children watched from the stands.

“[It was] a special night. [I was able] to have my family here in town and do it here in Dodger Stadium, where I think my joy for this game came back last year during the postseason,” said Pujols in the postgame press conference.

In terms of Williams’s tennis legacy, she has the professional tennis record of 23 grand slams over the course of her career, 24 singles titles and over $94 million in prize winnings, according to wtstennis.com.

“[Serena] put tennis on the map,” said Gubicza. “There [were] always great tennis players … but with her, it went to another level … I have no problem saying [she is] one of the best athletes in the history of sports.”

Both Pujols and Williams continue their positive influence outside of sports. In terms of Williams’s societal contributions, she has most notably aided in the construction of numerous schools across Africa according to UNICEF.

“I think it’s really cool to see someone using their money and their resources, [as well as] their influence on the public in a good way,” said girls varsity tennis player Megan Sun ‘24.

In 2005, Pujols started the Pujols Family Foundation, which aims to help those with Down Syndrome, serious illness and those living in low socioeconomic status in the Dominican Republic, according to pujolsfamilyfoundation.org.

“He’s just a great guy, he’s a good teammate [and] he’s a good role model,” said varsity boys baseball player Kaden Youmans ‘24.  “Last year when he was with the Dodgers, [he would] hug everybody when they came in … It just shows  you how cool of a guy he is. He is a true leader.”