Multi-Sport Athletes

Most college coaches will tell you that they prefer to recruit multiple sport athletes (either currently playing multiple sports in high school, or at least has played multiple sports throughout their youth). I don't know if I can recall ever hearing or reading of any college coach saying that they look for players who only play the one specific sport they coach. Obviously, this must mean college coaches believe they are getting a more rounded, athletic, mentally and physically strong individual when they get a kid who has played more than one sport.

I happen to agree with this. For example, as a baseball coach it gives me greater confidence knowing that my player in the batter's box with the game-winning run on second base and two outs in the bottom of the 7th inning, was also standing at the free throw line in January with :01 left on the clock and his team down by two points. To me, that game experience, mental pressure and intense focus is more valuable than if that player had decided to forego playing other sports in order to specialize in my sport by getting in a few extra reps in the off-season.

Of course, I want to be careful to not minimize the value and importance of getting off-season reps, because those are extremely valuable as well. It is very difficult to compete at a high level in any sport if the only time you practice that sport is during the three months when that sport is "in-season."

Herein lies the problem. Every coach knows this point is true. The off-season is where championships are built. We have all said it. We post it on social media. We hang the posters in our weight rooms. The expectation level is clear. If you want to be able to compete at a high level, you have to be ALL-IN... both during the season as well as in the off-season.

But for the three-sport athlete, when is the off-season?

Honest question.

The truth is, we are living in a day and time when there is literally NO off-season. Every sport expects 100% participation in their activities. Or at least that is what is implied, regardless of whether or not it is "allowed" be communicated directly. This creates a problem for the athlete that legitimately enjoys and wants to play three sports.

There are two kinds of three-sport athletes. One just enjoys playing sports, so they play a different sport in each season. This athlete does not envision himself or herself playing any sports in college. Therefore, the pressure or temptation to quit playing one or more of the three sports is not present. They love the competition, love the exercise, love the camaraderie with friends and teammates, but when high school is over their athletic career will be over. They are perfectly fine with this.

For many three-sport athletes, however, there is one sport (perhaps two) that they desire to continue to play at the next level. This athlete is hoping to get a scholarship or at least an opportunity to play one of those sports in college. What this means for this athlete is, they are naturally going to give a little more time, a little more effort, and a little more focus to one of those sports over the others. This young man or young woman may still desire and intend to play three sports while in high school. However, it becomes more and more difficult to do so without the guilty feelings that they are not being as committed as the coaches of those other sports expect them to be.

It is at this point, those three-sport athletes decide to give up the other sports. It is not always because they only want to focus on one sport. Quite the contrary. It is more often because they feel too much pressure or guilt from the other sports about missing their activities or off-season training. So they elect to stop playing those other sports in order to not be seen as less committed. Actually, multi-sport athletes are typically some of the most committed and gritty kids you will ever have in your program, but unfortunately the perception of them often is that they are less committed than others. This is a false perception, of course, because these athletes are actually juggling the commitments of three different sports at the same time.

Athletic Directors and Coaches, we must do better with this. Especially in school districts that are smaller, where athletic ability is at a premium. There just isn't the talent pool available to fill all of our teams with athletes who specialize in one sport. And honestly, I don't think we want that. Or at least that's what the majority of college coaches, professional coaches and doctors seem to say.

Urban Meyer is one coach who has been very outspoken on this issue, claiming that the players he has seen excel the most on the college football field are those who played multiple sports while in high school. After The Ohio State University won the 2014 National Championship, there was a chart that went viral on the internet showing that 42 of the 47 athletes Coach Meyer recruited to Ohio State played multiple sports in high school.

Pat Jones, former Oklahoma State coach says, "Our goal from an evaluator standpoint was that you wanted to see them do something competitive with your own eyes. So that might have to be another sport. During the spring you'd go watch a kid play baseball or run track... Plus, (playing multiple sports) helps a kid to stay on his toes and keep an edge from a competitive standpoint year-round."

An athlete who wants to play a sport in college is obviously going to have to be a little more committed to the sport they desire to play in college. They will need to attend prospect camps, which are often during another sport's "in-season" time. They are going to need to visit colleges and meet coaches. And obviously they are going to need to make sure they are doing everything they can to become the best they can possibly be in that sport. However, they can do this and still compete well in other high school sports. It is possible. They just need to know that it is okay for them to do so.

Most high school administrations say they value and encourage multiple-sport athletes. But do they really? In order to truly value this, efforts must be made that go beyond lip service. There must be tangible ways that this value is made very clear to everyone – kids, parents, AND (especially) coaches.

For those who are in a position to define the athletic culture of an entire high school, here are some things you might consider. Does everyone on your staff (all of your coaches) value multiple sport participation? If so, what does it look like? How do you encourage open and honest communication between coaches about sharing athletes? Are your coaches willing to develop a shared philosophy on open gyms? On strength training? On summer contact days?

Additionally, do the programs and affiliates that support your high school athletic program value multiple sport participation? How do you encourage that in your community? What is the message you are sharing with local youth programs? Do you know what message each of your high school coaches are sharing with local youth programs? Do you know what message the local youth coaches are sharing with players and parents? Is there consistency?

I have to believe that there can be proactive approaches and systems put in place that will work for the good of all involved. If what the majority of college coaches say is true regarding multiple-sport athletes – that they tend to excel more and have a more competitive edge – then I would think we would want more multiple-sport athletes on all of our high school and youth teams.

Yet, multiple sport participation is not increasing. Year after year it proves to be decreasing. Studies continue to show, over the past five years, that the number of high school varsity teams in the majority of states are increasing, while the number of participants are actually decreasing. How can that be possible? The fact that there are more teams but fewer participants can likely be explained by an ever-increasing number of athletes playing only one sport. Thus, instead of being counted two or three times in the survey (counted once for each sport they play) specialized athletes are only counted once. So, it's not necessarily that fewer kids are playing sports. It's that more kids are playing fewer sports.

I was recently in a discussion about this topic with some other parents of young athletes. One of them said something like this: "I hear all these college coaches say how they want to recruit kids who play more than one sport, but would any of them care to explain to us how that is even possible today?"

I could sense a little bit of frustration in that statement. I also sense that there is nothing most sports-minded parents would want more than for their children to be able to play multiple sports. But when they sit down in June with three different summer calendars, plus a desire to plan some time for a family vacation (or perhaps just a family meal), they find it hard to squeeze those ideas in around the summer leagues, open gyms, instruction days, strength and conditioning days, and camps. It's busy enough with one sport, but trying to plan around two can be very tricky. And THREE, nearly impossible.

We already know club and travel coaches do not support multi-sport athletes (or at least it is rare to find one who does). But whenever there is not a proactive approach and intentional systems in place like I mentioned in the questions above, it begins to become evident that high schools are not truly supporting and encouraging multi-sport athletes either.

So, here is the situation we have. Doctors are against specializing in one sport. Professional athletes advise against specializing in one sport. College coaches say they want to recruit multi-sport athletes. But, if the in-season and off-season systems that are in place in their high school make it nearly impossible to do so, then what are kids to do? They live in a catch-22 situation, stuck between a rock and a hard place. The "rock" representing all the sports they wish to play in high school, and the "hard place" being the calendars and commitments that are expected from each of them. They just can't make it all work perfectly.

What is the answer? Honestly, I believe it lies in the hands of high school administrations. I believe there must be a proactive effort that creates a culture of encouraging multiple sport participation. Specific actions have to be taken to instill a philosophy that promotes and encourages multiple sport participation.

But this is not just directed toward the kids (and parents). It has to begin with all of the coaching staffs. Perhaps include as a job requirement that coaches share athletes and actively promote multiple sport participation. Encourage coaches to coach, assist, or volunteer (even in some small, limited way) with other sports. Create an off-season workout/practice philosophy or policy that is specific to multi-sport athletes. One way to handle this would be that high schools create a supplemental coaching position (or better yet, a full-time position) for a dedicated, year-round strength and conditioning coach. It would be up to this person to plan workouts according to the various sports each athlete plays, maximizing their athleticism for each sport.

Needless to say, if we want to get the multi-sport athletes back into our programs, we are going to have to be intentional about creating systems and plans such as these, which will encourage multi-sport participation and make multi-sport participation a rewarding experience, not a stressful one.

What do you think? Is it possible?