Sports specialization has become a growing problem in youth athletics, I would even use the word "epidemic". Children are being thrown into a specific sport (soccer, football, basketball) at a young age and immersed in that sport yearlong. This action can lead to a number of problem that ultimately I, as a collegiate coach, am faced with on a daily basis. This entry I just wanted to summarize some of those reasons.
When we're young while we may have a set amount of fast twitch fibres or a genetic predisposition to some sports or activities, our motor skills have yet to fully develop, as well as forms of coordination, postural issues/dysfunctions and other basic tenets of athleticism. When dealing with youth athletes and their parents, I always preach to them to allow their children to play as many sports as they would like. Yes, I will always use the word play, but I will get back to that later. The benefits of a youth athlete training and competing in a variety of sports are immense. For one, every sport builds athleticism in different ways. Whether it be speed, endurance, power, coordination, flexibility, motor skills, etc; the benefits are obvious. The athlete that is better trained all around, will be the better athlete and will have fewer injuries as a result.
The next benefit goes back to that word "play" that I used earlier. The whole purpose of sport at a young age is to enjoy it. Does anyone know the percentage of athletes that turn pro? Here is one that is staggering, 1.7% of college football players turn pro, and .08% of high school football players turn pro. Basketball is even lower with 1.2% of college and .02% of high school players turning professional. (http://www.businessinsider.com/odds-college-athletes-become-professionals-2012-2?op=1)
What this statistic tells you is that the odds of becoming a professional athlete are so infinitesimal, that we are burning out our youth and amateur athletes simply for our own egos and not their own well being. Athletics can be an excellent educational device, but lately it is used either for money making purposes or (worse in my opinion) as a way to stroke egos. The focus needs to be on the athletes' growth, but athletically as well as personally, academically and socially.
Finally, sports are a great stress relief. For college athletes, their days are filled with classes, coursework, thesis papers as well as the basic ills that go with being a 18-23+ year old. Being told that at 18 years old you need to specialize and only pick one sport is just more weight packed onto the donkey's back. Most of the time, the reason for being told this demand is that the coaches simply do not want to share "their" athlete with another sport. Once again, it all goes back to ego. Rather than look out for the well being of the student-athlete, the coach is consumed with the idea of "this athlete is mine, these other coaches and sports will screw him/her up, so they need to train with me 12 months a year". When you think about how absurd this behavior is, it really makes you wonder what athletics (especially collegiate and scholastic) are for anymore.
In conclusion, I'm not really hoping to accomplish anything with this entry, just hoping that my fellow coaches athletes and pals out there will pass along the idea of making these young athletes healthy and happy, but making them well rounded. Think of all the amazing multi-sport athletes in history. Jim Thorpe, Marion Jones, Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders moving up today with Lolo Jones and other sprinters in the winter olympics. Stop thinking about athletes as "yours" exclusively. If anything it's YOU that belongs to THEM as their coach, you are there to serve their best interest. Never the other way around.
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