By: Ford Wilder
To begin, many high school athletes fall into the belief that they have to focus on one sport solely if they want to be the best and get offers in their sport. I am a firm believer that this is not true. Plenty of evidence shows that the greatest professional and collegiate athletes played not just one sport in high school but two, three, or even four! Some examples of people who fit this category are Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Michael Phelps, etc.
There are many downsides to specializing in one sport. The biggest one is getting tired or burnt out of that sport. I play three different sports throughout the year so I never really feel burned out since I am switching seasons every few months and mixing it up. Instead, I am eager to make the switch between seasons and this makes each sport enjoyable as I am ready to jump back into action and get back on track for each one. Those who get burnt out also tend to have poor performances in their sport due to a lack of enthusiasm and effort towards their practices and games. This will then often lead to a poor mental state all because they wanted to fall into the trap of specialization in high school. Specialization has a time and place which is in college because that is when your sport becomes a job and the competition picks up.
Another flaw of single sport specialization is not having another plan. I play three different sports and I am unsure of what I want to do at the next level. I am also unsure of which sport will open up the most in recruiting so I do not want to close any doors in case the one I choose does not end up working out. I have watched many great athletes in my area specialize in just football or just basketball and quit their sport which has led to them not getting an opportunity to play at the next level.
Furthermore, one of the benefits of playing many sports is mastering many different skills. This allows for a stronger mind since you have to overcome many challenges in not just one sport or area but in many different ones. You also have to stay extremely focused and can not slack off in between seasons since you are always competing. I have noticed great benefits from this since my competitive edge is always high and I am always ready to compete. This has made my mindset one of the greater parts of my game. Whether it’s my favorite sport, basketball, or my sport of lesser importance to me, track, I am just as competitive in both due to the mentality I take into being a multi-sport athlete.
Ultimately, I believe that the greatest athletes are those who perform many sports in high school and do not specialize too early. I have noticed the greatest improvements in my all-around mental and athletic performance through playing multiple sports.
Baron Media Network 