Choosing Variety: The Case for Multi-Sport Participation in Youth Athletics

The debate may be as old as organized youth competition: Is it better to play multiple sports or specialize in one? Does a one-sport athlete have a leg up over the well-rounded contender?

For young competitors, deciding whether to specialize or diversify can be difficult. Too often, it’s influenced by outside adult pressure rather than research and medical recommendations. Parents usually have the strongest influence. After all, specialization usually requires extra money and effort in the form of travel teams, specialty camps and private coaching.

But even with these higher costs and increased time demands on families, “I’m seeing more and more young athletes specializing,” says Kristopher J. Paultre, M.D., a family medicine and primary care sports medicine specialist with the UHealth Sports Medicine Institute.

Research bears him out.

As more children (and parents) dream of college scholarships and pro contracts, the culture of youth sports has moved toward greater intensity and early specialization. According to the Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2024 report, the average number of sports played by children has declined notably over the past decade — more than 18%.

While pro aspirations aren’t the only reason for this shift, specialization has a direct correlation with a worrisome trend.

From Dr. Paultre: “I’m also seeing more and more young athletes with injuries they shouldn’t have at their age.”

That’s one of the main reasons Dr. Paultre believes playing several sports until high school is better than focusing on just one. With rare exceptions (such as figure skating and rhythmic gymnastics), specialization can ultimately do more harm than good. He suggests athletes begin to specialize at the age of 15.

“I know there’s a lot of pressure our there [to specialize],” he adds.  “it’s always been out there, yes, but not to this degree. It’s not in the best interest of the [youth] athlete. Non-professional league sports has become a multibillion-dollar business with private coaches and special camps and travel teams, but it’s not the best way to keep kids healthy. Their bodies are not meant to have this kind of strain and repetition.”

Sports specialization has been linked to overuse injuries.

These develop from repetitive motions without adequate rest, including stress fractures, tendinitis, shin splints and Little League elbow or shoulder. Repeated use can also cause tears or chronic instability, particularly in knees, shoulders, and ankles. And because their bones are still growing, young athletes are particularly vulnerable to growth plate injuries, too.

Dr. Paultre points to recent statistics that show 60% of Tommy John surgeries (technically known as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction) are now performed on adolescents. The reason? A young player’s musculoskeletal system has not fully matured and can’t endure the strain. In fact, he adds, if a youth pitcher throws for more than eight months per year, he has a “significantly increased” risk of needing shoulder or elbow surgery.

In addition to physical injury, intense, year-round training in a single sport may also come at the price of mental burnout, which manifests as exhaustion, mood swings, increased irritability, and declining performance. One study, for example, found early specialization nearly doubles the risk of mental health issues.

On the other hand, playing several complementary sports until high school offers both physical and emotional rewards.

Multi-sport athletes not only suffered fewer injuries, but they also developed broader motor skills and showed greater psychological resilience. These competitors also showed a better understanding of teamwork and sportsmanship, more self-confidence and more fundamental gross motor skill development.

Playing more than one sport usually does not interfere with a college or pro career, either. For example, 29 of 32 first-round picks in the 2018 National Football League draft had a multi-sport background.

“We need to educate parents about this,” Dr. Paultre says. “Specializing is not necessarily in the best interest of the [youth] athlete. We need to let them know that telling their children to do different sports is fine. It’s actually more beneficial.”

He also suggests:

• Ease up on the performance pressure. Sports should be enjoyable.
• Don’t make it all about reaching the elite ranks. The likelihood a child competitor will play at the college or professional level is very low.  Fewer than 1% of young athletes have a career in sports and only 2% get an NCAA scholarship.
• Encourage cross-training. Look to combine sports that develop complementary muscle groups and teach different skills. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends cross-training as part of a balanced athletic development plan, especially for kids under 15.
• Focus on rest. A young athlete should have at least one to two days off per week from their particular sport of interest. He or she should not train more hours per week than their age, with a maximum of 16 hours per week.

Written by Ana Veciana-Suárez, a regular contributor to the University of Miami Health System. She is an acclaimed author and journalist who has worked for The Miami Herald, The Miami News, and The Palm Beach Post.

Tags: Cross-training for kids, Dr. Kristopher Paultre, Multi-sport benefits, Youth sports participation