Youth and highschool sports are becoming increasingly more competitive. Growing up, many athletes play different sports throughout the year trying to find their passion for something they love. Most athletes I know played two to three sports growing up as kids. As teams are made and kids are evaluated, they begin to filter out when they reach teenage years. Now because of the increase in competition, many people are settling on just one sport rather than sticking with multiple. I believe playing multiple sports is way more beneficial than just one, but also I think it has its flaws.
The most obvious thing is that playing multiple sports keeps you in shape as an athlete. I know that if I sat around all winter instead of playing hockey I would feel slow and out of shape when baseball season hits. Adding on to that, different sports use different muscles so it’s just healthy in general for the athlete. It takes stress off areas from one sport to the other. An example for me by the end of baseball season my arm basically feels like it’s falling off. It hurts so bad. But then I get a four month break to focus on hockey which doesn’t use the same muscle in my arm to throw. Say an athlete playing only one sport. I assume they are doing training during the offseason; they just continue to put stress on the same areas.
Young athletes can get burnt out playing only one sport. One thing that I have noticed in teenage athletes that play one sport year round is that they lose the love of the game. It’s not only losing the love for the game when they are burnt out they can find them getting increased injuries. Athletes that play one sport are more likely to find injuries of overuse. When you play multiple sports you get a break and it’s a switch up. I notice towards the end of the season I’m looking for a change and I can’t wait for the next season to start. When you play multiple sports you can’t get burnt out.
Playing multiple sports has its social benefits. Personally I can connect with many people and I meet a lot of new people because of playing multiple sports. It also keeps teens out of doing stuff they shouldn’t be. Sports keeps kids and teens out of drug use, violence, crime and lonely behaviors. Sports keep teens busy and give them goals they want to pursue. These goals, playing in college for example, keep them on a successful path.
The only thing that would make me decide to play one sport is that you can focus on it more. When I come into the next season I feel like I have to relearn everything from strategy to the movements and it’s a pain. If I only played one sport I could go into the season ready to go and completely confident.
Multi-sport athletes will see more benefits than single sport athletes. It prevents injuries, has social benefits and is a healthy balance. Teenagers who are athletes should be encouraged to play multiple sports and they will find benefits.
