Sports Specialization Analysis

In sport, specialization is key to an athlete who desires to excel in their preferred sport. Yet on the other hand, when an athlete chooses to specialize they sacrifice the risk of injury, psychological burnout, and the idea is it truly worth it to specialize. By definition sports specialization is when an athlete devotes at least eight months of the year training, and only participates in the given sport as well as they would’ve started at a younger age. (Ried, 2017). An athlete in a high performance sport is putting themselves at risk for an injury; yet and athlete who is specialized, is putting themselves at an even higher risk. A study taken by university of Wisconsin discovered that out of athletes ranging from the
When an athlete is participating at a minimum of sixteen hours a week, they're likely to become exhausted. Athletes are put at high stress, and those who cannot deal with that intense level of competitive stress will become less psychologically prepared for given situation. (sports specialization part 1, 2015, p. 440). Furthermore for children who specialize at a young age; it is usually the parents who make the decision of the sport they will specialize in. This may later result in the individual lack participation mentally and physically in the desired sport and start withdrawing themselves from the given activity; to participate in another sport of choice. Specializing at a young age results in children not being given the opportunity to enjoy free play; given to the definition of sport specialization individuals only participate in their desired sport. A study found youth under the age of twelve should be spending 80% of their time playing in any other chosen sport. (O’Sullivan, 2014). When deciding to specialize; it is key to understand that one opportunity may be ahead, but at such a young age a childhood with freedom is being
In football out of seventy four thousand NCAA participants only 1.5% will make it into the NFL ( NCAA, 2016). I believe that specializing an athlete is not worth taking that athlete away from spending their time focusing on other activities. I believe this because such a little number of individuals will continue on with that sport as a career, that after post secondary that athlete will be just like everybody else in the world-- normal and with a regular career. In the 2016 NFL draft, 81% of the first round athletes were multisport athletes. (NCSA, 2016). Additionally this data provides that; an athlete doesn’t have to be specialized to make it the national leagues. Conclusively, I believe that an athlete should not be specialized; because, when an athlete is specialized they have a tendency to be put at a high risk of injury, burn out rate, and in the end it isn’t worth it. However an athlete should participate in as many activities as they choose where they can enjoy themselves and find a passion for a sport they care about, not what their parents signed them up for when they were little. An athlete who specialize is not guaranteed a sport to become pro, so I believe that a child should be multisport