At the October NASC Market Segment Meetings, a lot of the talk among attendees was focused on keeping kids involved in sports. As we’ve noted, by the time young athletes hit early high school, participation drops dramatically and with an organization like NASC, kids playing sports is vital to keeping the organization, and the industry, growing.
A recent article on ESPNW takes the youth sports discussion one step further—why you want your young athlete to be involved in multiple sports in this day and age of sport specialization.
The author, sports reporter (and sports mom) Michelle Smith, gives five reasons why it’s good for kids to play several sports, including fewer overuse injuries, less chance for emotional burnout, exposure to different kids and different roles and not putting all your sports eggs into one basket.
The final point is perhaps important in the discussion of keeping kids playing sports. “Playing only one sport limits your options,” Smith writes. “An injury, a bad experience with a coach or a reduced role on a more competitive team can bring an abrupt end to an athletic career.”
Smith goes on to talk about the competitive nature, even at the youth level. “Such a small number of high school athletes move on to play a sport in college,” she continues, “even fewer earn an athletic scholarship. If the goal is to play as long as possible, perhaps it makes the most sense to play as many sports as possible.”
Playing more than one sport can make for a more well-rounded athlete, and gives players a choice of which sport they may want to play at a higher level. Smith mentions Derek Jeter, who played basketball in high school before finding fame with the Yankees, or Robert Griffin III who played baseball and ran track before playing quarterback at Baylor and the NFL.
Youth sports aren’t just good business—it’s a positive way of life. The NASC works to encourage kids to get off the couch and get out and play.
To read the entire article, “5 reasons you want your kid to be a multi-sport athlete,” go to http://www.espn.com/espnw/voices/article/17831948/5-reasons-want-your-kid-multi-sport-athlete.