Where did the multi sport athletes go?

[David Allison]

I am somewhat surprised by the responses I've seen so far.

I don't believe in today's athletic environment that there are very many, if any, "true" multi-sport athletes. By "true" I mean athletes that can excel in multiple sports. Yes, your daughter can play multiple sports, but can she excel in multiple sports? That's the issue for me.

Some will argue about "well-roundedness" and more opportunities, but to me, the question is, do you want to be "good", i.e., start, in multiple sports, or do you want to excel in one sport and reach the highest level you can reach?

Pitchers in particular come to mind. The really successful pitchers that I have seen work hard on the offseason on perfecting their technique, pitches, etc. If this time is taken up with volleyball or basketball, then the time can't be spent on pitching. The same is true for hitting, catching, etc.

So, if you want to be an all-around athlete, playing multiple sports makes sense. If you want to try and reach the highest level of performance in any given sport, then you've got to spend time working at that sport.

Why is it that you don't see hardly any multi-sport pro athletes? There have been a few, and arguably, Deion Sanders was the best multi-sport pro athlete. Michael Jordan tried professional baseball, but didn't make it out of the minor leagues. Both Sanders and Jordan excelled in their "primary" sports, i.e., football and basketball, but neither excelled in their secondary sports. Why? Both are great athletes, no question. But, in my opinion, they weren't able to spend the time needed to excel in their secondary sports to reach the top level.

I feel the same is true at the youth and High School level, but that it is even more pronounced, as the athletes haven't "mastered" their primary sports yet. Am I one of those "Play softball and no others" coaches? No. But I don't believe that athletes that play multiple sports will likely excel in either.

I think it depends on age on when you specialize in a sport. Many pro athletes played multiple sports growing up and then needed to decide on what sport to pursue when they got to college. But I believe we are trying to specialize too early in many cases. Kids bodies are still maturing and by doing a sport year-round will cause over-use and injuries. Many studies have shown that a child doesn't need to specialize in a sport until he/she is 16 years old to be successful (This is junior year in HS). Allowing your child to try multiple sports as they are growing up is not just good to see what they may excel in, but also to use different muscle groups so they have balance and veer away of injuries...Not to be mean, but this little thing called "talent" needs to be there for an individual to play Div I sports, not to mention Olympic or professional level athletics. Many of our kids aren't going to be able to reach these levels, so why not play many sports; and if they are talented enough it will come out and we can help them nurture this skill as they grow not make it an all-or-nothing proposition from an early age.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I recently started reading The Talent Code. Thanks for the heads up, Ken. It is very good and quite interesting. I am trying to decide what my 14 mo. old GD should excel in.

 

[TheRogue]

Play everything that sounds fun, but specialize in one. By this, I mean that school sports are great, hope my daughter plays 3 sports next year in HS......but there is only room in life for one dedicated travel sport. Know several girls who are great athletes that play travel softball......and travel basketball........and travel volleyball......and travel soccer....... what happens that instead of being a truly great player at one of the sports, they are mediocre (or less) at all of them. That's fine for the kid, as far as I'm concerned....but as a member of some intense travel teams, well, it's unfair to the rest of the team, IMHO.

Not to mention I can't imagine why a parent would subject themselves to 3 or 4 traveling sports!!

 

[steeljim]

My daughter was a Basketball/Softball player for years... I had no problem with it but knew in time she would have to choose between them in order to fully excel in one. During her sophomore season she got a high ankle sprain which side lined her for about 4 weeks from Varsity basketball... well she never returned.. of course she asked my opinion but she approached me and said that she loves softball and didn't want to risk a more serious injury with a sport that she considered a hobby. I told her it was her decision and I think that is the key to let your children decide rather then be told because in the end they will either be glad for their decision or possibly feel animosity towards the one you made for them.

 

[mudbug]

Ancient proverb :

"Dog that chases two rabbits at once often goes hungry"

To be successful at difficult goals requires focus and committment. True in the working world, as well as the athletic world.

The truth however is as the old saying goes. For everything you gain, there IS something lost. In the case of work, extra effort takes time away from your family life. Time that you can NEVER get back. Your kids will never be the same ages again, etc.

In the case of youth athletics, some other growing up experiences are forfeited.

The only issue is if the trade was worth it in the end. for some it is, for many it isnt.

 

[Sparky Guy]

"Dog that chases two rabbits at once often goes hungry"

Had that situation last year and this year as well with a supremely athletic girl. Had a girl who played travel basketball and ran track last year. Great arm with all the raw talent you would ever want in an athlete. She missed a lot of practices and game for basketball. Finally I sat her down and told her she needed to decide if she was a softball player who played basketball or if she was a basketball player who played softball. A few weeks later she came to me and told me with tears in her eyes that she decided to put all of her time into basket ball. I wished her luck and let her know I supported her decision 150% because she did what was right for her and her teammates on both teams. I made sure to let her know there were no hard feelings.

The girl this year is playing club volleyball, but she wants to pitch as well. It's shaping up to be a frustrating spring again.

 

[chinamigarden]

Ancient proverb :

"Dog that chases two rabbits at once often goes hungry"

To be successful at difficult goals requires focus and committment. True in the working world, as well as the athletic world.

The truth however is as the old saying goes. For everything you gain, there IS something lost. In the case of work, extra effort takes time away from your family life. Time that you can NEVER get back. Your kids will never be the same ages again, etc.

In the case of youth athletics, some other growing up experiences are forfeited.

The only issue is if the trade was worth it in the end. for some it is, for many it isnt.

Playing HS basketball and HS volleyball didn't seem to deter Finch all that much.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Playing HS basketball and HS volleyball didn't seem to deter Finch all that much.

You're comparing apples to cupcakes here. Playing in HS is one thing. The season is only X number of weeks long for any sport. It's when kids start trying to play multiple travel sports at a high level is where the conflicts come in at. Most of the sports require a year round commitment, especially when you move up in age levels.

 

[chinamigarden]

You're comparing apples to cupcakes here. Playing in HS is one thing. The season is only X number of weeks long for any sport. It's when kids start trying to play multiple travel sports at a high level is where the conflicts come in at. Most of the sports require a year round commitment, especially when you move up in age levels.

No I'm not. Go back to the very first post and you will see its about the HS athlete who plays multiple sports, heck even the band is mentioned. Somehow playing a sport has become perverted to mean playing travel sports. And somewhere along the line travel sports has been perverted to meaning year round devotion to only one activity.

If my daughter plays 4 sports and 1 of them is travel, whats the issue? There shouldn't be one, but some people here seem to think that is a lack of focus that needs to be squashed. If a kid is one of the best players on a team, goes to every practice and game. Why can't she play something else?

When I look at the thread about nursing and college softball, its reaffirmed my belief that I am doing the right thing by letting my DD pursue as many activities as she wants. To devote her High School life to one sport only to have it stunt her academic opportunities in college would be a mistake on many levels.

 

[Kelly Clinevell]

No I'm not. Go back to the very first post and you will see its about the HS athlete who plays multiple sports, heck even the band is mentioned. Somehow playing a sport has become perverted to mean playing travel sports. And somewhere along the line travel sports has been perverted to meaning year round devotion to only one activity.

If my daughter plays 4 sports and 1 of them is travel, whats the issue? There shouldn't be one, but some people here seem to think that is a lack of focus that needs to be squashed. If a kid is one of the best players on a team, goes to every practice and game. Why can't she play something else?

When I look at the thread about nursing and college softball, its reaffirmed my belief that I am doing the right thing by letting my DD pursue as many activities as she wants. To devote her High School life to one sport only to have it stunt her academic opportunities in college would be a mistake on many levels.

Amen. I believe that this year round travel ball philosophy is unhealthy for a vast majority of kids - especially when you're talking about sports that are as one side dominant as softball and baseball.