TENNESSEE – Evansville’s Joseph Maxwell has been setting varsity records and establishing personal bests for several years, most recently at the University of Tennessee where he is in his final year of studying for his undergraduate degree, but the uncertainty of the future of the 2021 Olympics and a number of recent sports injuries, as well as a couple of tempting job offers, have him evaluating his path forward.
“I have another year of eligibility for college sports,” said Mr. Maxwell, adding that he is finishing up his undergraduate degree. “I could go on to graduate school, but I am more of a hands-on kind of guy,” he laughed. “I am also looking at jobs; I have a couple of job offers.”
Mr. Maxwell explained that while he has enjoyed his time at college, “I am really in it for the sports.”
Two factors are weighing heavily in those decisions. First and foremost is the endgame—the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. “It isn’t sure that they will even go ahead,” he said. But in the meantime, Mr. Maxwell, who has set a number of records in the shot put category of track and fields and was elected as team captain at his school last year, said that while he is playing things by ear at the moment, when it comes to a couple of upcoming events he will still be giving it his “best shot.”
