Retirement in W:A is more like real world sports. You stop playing competitively but still enjoy a fun game now and then, irregular, when you feel like it. I feel retired because I don't participate in any league activity for years (serious commitment with Playoffs etc.) You can retire from lots of things without quitting the activity all together. It's not like a football player will not play a friendly match with his family/friends and be all like: Can't play, I am retired.
So yeah, retirement is mostly the competitive side of a game, you don't strive to get better anymore that is crucial when you are still "in".
What people mean when they never ever wanna play again is called quitting. Retirement is quitting the serious part of a game.