What do Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, and LeBron James have in common? All were multi-sport athletes in their youth, and each of them extols the virtues of playing more than one sport when you’re young.
Studies have shown that this type of cross-training increases overall athleticism, reduces burnout, and cuts down on repetitive use injuries.
Alex Flanagan is a reporter for NBC Sports and NFL Network who co-authors a website, I Love to Watch You Play. I want to share an interesting article I came across on her site entitled, “Who’s to Blame for the Decline in Multi-Sport Athletes in Youth Sports?”
Many coaches and sports organizations are putting increasing pressure on youngsters and their parents to specialize in a single sport. Since the rise of year-round sports and specialty camps, we have argued that it is far more productive to play a number of different sports and develop a broad range of athletic skills.
While we don’t consider ourselves a breeding ground for professional athletes, we do have something in common with Derek, Tom, and LeBron– we strongly believe that playing multiple sports is most conducive for improving as an athlete and, just as importantly, for experiencing the joys of athletic competition.
