Amateurism X Profissionalism

One of my favorite things to do on my free time is playing volleyball. Thankfully, not too long after I arrive in LA I met these group of guys who had this awesome organized volleyball on Thursdays and Fridays at Hollywood High. Voila is the name of the organization and even though nowadays I don't play with them anymore, I still suggest whoever feels like playing in a friendly and fun atmosphere to try them.
Every once in a while I bump into someone who I have not seen playing for a while and they usually say they RETIRED from volleyball. Most of those guys are 30 something, 40 years old. That confuses me. First of all, have they ever been paid for playing ? I always thought we were all amateurs and we played for fun. Secondly, it scares me to see those guys who are only couple of years older than me giving up, using their age as excuse not to play. Hopefully I will be playing until I cannot walk anymore.
Amateur = Amador = the one who loves.
Professional = Profissional = paid for the job done.
I also have been lucky (because I am not that easy) to be in a team and play in different tournaments throughout the year in different cities of the country. It is so much fun! You can check the Nagva website to see how this North American Organization works. It's incredible the amount of people playing in these tournaments. The next one we will be playing and organizing is in Las Vegas during halloween weekend. The preparation is intense! We are expecting 54 teams from all over in 4 different divisions. For more info, check http://www.geocities.com/quickset001/
Have FUN!