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Matt D’Amico

Prof. Leonard

English 1201

1 March 2020

Literature Review

Today, many student athletes find themselves having to quit multiple sports and instead

dedicate themselves to only one sport in order to play at a high school varsity level, and possibly

beyond. This strategy for athletes is referred to as sport specialization, and has been increasingly

popular in recent years. Though possibly increasing the chance to make the team, it ultimately

hurts your time spent playing throughout the season and an athlete’s career. This literature

review will be exploring why athletes should play multiple sports, instead of specializing in one.

The greatest deal of change has been seen over the past thirty years. A study by the

National Strength and Conditioning Association, or NCSA, that participation in sports has

drastically changed. From 1987 to 2008, the number of students involved with sports increased

from 18 million to about 60 million. Additionally, they claim that “the level of competitiveness

in youth sports is on the rise causing more competitive events at younger ages, specific training,

and sport specification.” They found that in recent years to the study, which was conducted in

December 2013, seasons had begun to increase and parents were being influenced to sign their

child up for teams that practiced year round. This ultimately discourages multisport athletes and

causes children to specialize at a young age.

Though specializing in a particular sport has its benefits, such as becoming a better

player, it does have very strong downfalls which could limit a player’s time spent participating

during the season. A study led by Caitlin Rugg in the American Journal of Sports Medicine
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found that players in the National Basketball Association, or NBA, who were involved in

multiple sports during high school participated in more games, experienced fewer injuries, and

had longer careers than those who specialized in one sport. Of 237 athletes surveyed, Rugg’s

study found that 15% were multiple sport athletes, and those athletes had an increase in

participation rate by 6% throughout their entire career.

Another big factor that athletes who specialize experience is burnout. The NCSA defines

burnout as “physical and emotional exhaustion from the psychological and physiological

demands of the athlete’s sport.” Jaimie Duffek of USA Today describes that burnout causes an

athlete to experience withdrawal and stress from over working at a young age. Duffek claims that

this leads to the athlete to resent the sport and possibly quit. He says that burnout is much less

common for multisport athletes, as the diversity helps to maintain a love for the sports they play.
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Works Cited

Canter, Len. “Why Kids Should Play More Than One Sport.” U.S. News & World Report,
U.S. News & World Report,
www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-04-26/why-kids-should-play-more-
than-one-sport. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.
Caruso, Thomas H., and Cscs. “Early Sport Specialization Versus Diversification in Youth
Athletes.” National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), NSCA, 1 Dec. 2013,
www.nsca.com/education/articles/nsca-coach/early-sport-specialization-versus-
diversification-in-youth-athletes/. Accessed 23 Mar. 2020.
Duffek, Jaimie. “A Few Surprises in the Data behind Single-Sport and Multisport
Athletes.” USA TODAY High School Sports, 8 Mar. 2018,
https://usatodayhss.com/2017/a-few-surprises-in-the-data-behind-single-sport-and-
multisport-athletes. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.
O'Sullivan, John. “Is It Wise to Specialize?” Changing the Game Project, 1 Dec. 2017,
https://changingthegameproject.com/is-it-wise-to-specialize/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.
Rugg, Caitlin. “The Effects of Playing Multiple High School Sports on National
Basketball Association Players’ Propensity for Injury and Athletic Performance.”
Sinclair College Off-Campus Authentication Form, 9 Feb. 2018,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321074276_The_Effects_of_Playing_Multiple_
High_School_Sports_on_National_Basketball_Association_Players'_Propensity_for_Inju
ry_and_Athletic_Performance. Accessed 1 Mar. 2020.