Multi-sport Athletes

[strongx]

What are the experiences out there with larger schools and kids playing multiple sports? Most schools I am familiar with talk a good game but still have their internal issues. I assume smaller schools have to accept kids playing several sports, but is the trend with the bigger schools to encourage kids to specialize? It seems like some are pressuring kids to specialize. What is everybody else seeing at their school?
 

Some parents I have spoken with actually encourage other sports just for the break from the primary sport. Otherwise, the kid would be expected to play that one sport year round in either 7 on 7, aau hoops, or travel baseball. 
 

Next question, why are schools/coaches doing this? Or just my imagination?

[chs1984]

Good question. I am retired now, but in my career I was at 3 large schools, and 2 small ones (at one of the small ones twice.) My experience was pretty much like you said: Very few played multiples at the large schools, almost everyone played multiples at the small schools. 

[strongx]

4 hours ago, chs1984 said:

Good question. I am retired now, but in my career I was at 3 large schools, and 2 small ones (at one of the small ones twice.) My experience was pretty much like you said: Very few played multiples at the large schools, almost everyone played multiples at the small schools. 

It’s probably just the same as it has always been at bigger schools with the only change being some of the smaller schools have gotten bigger! I’d assume if the kid is good enough, then he could play them all.

Edited March 28, 2021 by strongx

[MichaelMyers76]

You have coaches now that don't understand how burnout happens, How overuse injuries occur, and basically are stupid. They are control freaks and carry that personality disorder into their professional lives. Athletes are athletes. Every kid I have ever coached that played at D1 and the professional level played multiple sports. Every. Single. One. Heck most all the kids that played college ball at any level played a couple. No college coach is watching 7 on 7. None. They want to see them play actual football and almost always ask what other sports they play.

Freaking Mookie Betts played everything they offered. Think he did ok.

[dawgs82]

I think its very important that kids play multiple (at least two) sports. Growing up I played football, basketball and baseball, with a couple of years of cross country missed in. It gave specific body parts (depending on the sport) a chance to rest. I eventually went on to sign and play SEC baseball. I think it is a mistake of the parents, not the coaches that kids aren't playing multiple sports. You're the parent, you have the final say! Naturally coaches are going to push it. If they don't win, they don't coach.

Until my recent retirement I worked with a guy that had a son he had playing baseball 24/7, all year. At the time the kid (a pitcher) was 10 years old playing up with 11 and 12 year old's. The kid was good enough physically, but the fear of playing with the older kids showed. The kid never rested his arm. Freshman year in high school and he has to have elbow surgery. I blame it on his Dad. And you hear of this happening all the time. It use to never happen back when kids played multiple sports. Kids will burn out mentally and physically.

 

[strongx]

1 hour ago, dawgs82 said:

I think its very important that kids play multiple (at least two) sports. Growing up I played football, basketball and baseball, with a couple of years of cross country missed in. It gave specific body parts (depending on the sport) a chance to rest. I eventually went on to sign and play SEC baseball. I think it is a mistake of the parents, not the coaches that kids aren't playing multiple sports. You're the parent, you have the final say! Naturally coaches are going to push it. If they don't win, they don't coach.

Until my recent retirement I worked with a guy that had a son he had playing baseball 24/7, all year. At the time the kid (a pitcher) was 10 years old playing up with 11 and 12 year old's. The kid was good enough physically, but the fear of playing with the older kids showed. The kid never rested his arm. Freshman year in high school and he has to have elbow surgery. I blame it on his Dad. And you hear of this happening all the time. It use to never happen back when kids played multiple sports. Kids will burn out mentally and physically.

 

Agree. It just sux when coaches tell a kid he is going to play those who are dedicated to his sport going forward. With attitudes like that, kids and parents are forced into other paths. Reminds me of an English teacher telling the students you will only pass if you only spend time on my class this semester. In that case, you better drop English.

Edited March 29, 2021 by strongx

[Rerun92]

I think it's a bit more complex than we're making it.  Large schools have more depth of talent generally.  So for a kid to play multiple sports and be good enough to play at both he or she has to be pretty good.  Many sports have specialized skill that require nearly year-round training to be a starter at a school.  The best baseball schools have kids getting drafted or going D1 almost every year.  As such, the kids that specialize are more refined skill wise.  The same is true at basketball.  Track/football makes a good complimentary two sport pairing.  Heck, even soccer, the best players have skills that are refined year round are rarely complimented by other sports.  

 

I guess what I'm saying is in a large competitive school if youre not specialized, youre not likely to start in multiple sports unless youre a truly elite athlete.  Theres nothing that mimics hitting a baseball, hitting a three pointer, or dribbling a soccerball that translates from other sports.  The same is often true in the football's skill positions. 

Small schools don't have as much depth so kids are more likely to start in multiple sports even though they aren't as specialized and refined.

[GWAVE1]

Kids are encouraged to play other sports along with football at Gallatin.  Kids play soccer, baseball, track, wrestling, and basketball ball along with football.  Jordan Mason who plays at Georgia Tech and was a former Mr Football finalist played travel baseball in the summer into football practice when his team was playing for a national title.  

[cbg]

The problem that I witness most of the time is with the football coaches.  One Example:  you have a young man that has signed to play baseball in the SEC has a SS.  He was also the starting receiver on a football team that competed for a state championship most every year in football.  The young man would attend "EVERY" early morning football in the Summer if he was not out of town playing baseball.  His typical day was the following:  7:00am-10:00am strength & conditioning for football, go home eat breakfast and take a nap, 1:30 get up and eat lunch, 3:00pm leave for batting practice at the indoor facility, 5:30pm & 8:00pm play a double header, get home around 11:00pm, eat and get to bed by midnight before he had to get up again at 6:00am to do it again.  This young man would play 60+ baseball games between Memorial Day and the end of July.  He went to the head football coach and told him that his Summer League baseball team had qualified for the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico and he would miss the first 2 week of football due to being out of town for baseball.  The coach told him that he had to make a decision if he was going to go to the world series (he had already signed to play baseball in the SEC) or play high school football.  After being told this the parents went and spoke with the football coach and were told the exact same thing as the kid.  My experience is that this is the story with most of the football coaches.  To have a high school athletic program that is successful you must have coaches that are willing to share athletes and not be selfish.  Why not tell the kid to go to the world series and get back in town the day after his team was eliminated from play.  Why would the football coach not call and check on the kid and see how he was doing at the tournament.  

                                   

[Swipes]

12 minutes ago, cbg said:

The problem that I witness most of the time is with the football coaches.  One Example:  you have a young man that has signed to play baseball in the SEC has a SS.  He was also the starting receiver on a football team that competed for a state championship most every year in football.  The young man would attend "EVERY" early morning football in the Summer if he was not out of town playing baseball.  His typical day was the following:  7:00am-10:00am strength & conditioning for football, go home eat breakfast and take a nap, 1:30 get up and eat lunch, 3:00pm leave for batting practice at the indoor facility, 5:30pm & 8:00pm play a double header, get home around 11:00pm, eat and get to bed by midnight before he had to get up again at 6:00am to do it again.  This young man would play 60+ baseball games between Memorial Day and the end of July.  He went to the head football coach and told him that his Summer League baseball team had qualified for the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico and he would miss the first 2 week of football due to being out of town for baseball.  The coach told him that he had to make a decision if he was going to go to the world series (he had already signed to play baseball in the SEC) or play high school football.  After being told this the parents went and spoke with the football coach and were told the exact same thing as the kid.  My experience is that this is the story with most of the football coaches.  To have a high school athletic program that is successful you must have coaches that are willing to share athletes and not be selfish.  Why not tell the kid to go to the world series and get back in town the day after his team was eliminated from play.  Why would the football coach not call and check on the kid and see how he was doing at the tournament.  

                                   

Not saying it's right or it's wrong but most coaches don't care as long as you are in season for another sport that is in season at the High School. (Travel Baseball or Summer Ball isn't associated with the high school).  What a lot of coaches don't like is missing practice for teams that aren't associated with the school.  I played three sports in high school and had season run over because of play-offs but couldn't use a travel team or team not associated with the school as a reason to miss practice for that season.

[cbg]

2 hours ago, Swipes said:

Not saying it's right or it's wrong but most coaches don't care as long as you are in season for another sport that is in season at the High School. (Travel Baseball or Summer Ball isn't associated with the high school).  What a lot of coaches don't like is missing practice for teams that aren't associated with the school.  I played three sports in high school and had season run over because of play-offs but couldn't use a travel team or team not associated with the school as a reason to miss practice for that season.

Very few baseball players are recruited on what they do in high school.  The college & professional coaches want to see what you do against the top national competition.  Again, why punish a player that is really doing the school and coach a favor by playing!  This kid was risking injury to himself in that if injured could have possibly ended his baseball career.  Do coaches not want to  find a way to get the best players on the field?  It's not like the kid was just hanging out eating cookies the first two weeks of practice, he was in a competition.  On a side note the young man went on to become a 2X All-Sec SS and went in the MLB draft.  

Edited March 29, 2021 by cbg

[Swipes]

3 hours ago, cbg said:

Very few baseball players are recruited on what they do in high school.  The college & professional coaches want to see what you do against the top national competition.  Again, why punish a player that is really doing the school and coach a favor by playing!  This kid was risking injury to himself in that if injured could have possibly ended his baseball career.  Do coaches not want to  find a way to get the best players on the field?  It's not like the kid was just hanging out eating cookies the first two weeks of practice, he was in a competition.  On a side note the young man went on to become a 2X All-Sec SS and went in the MLB draft.  

Like I said not saying it is right and not saying it is wrong, just trying to give a prospective of the other side.      I for one wouldn't want to see him play and get hurt in a summer league game when he had already signed to play in the SEC.  Maybe the Coach didn't want him getting hurt in a game that in the end didn't matter right before football season?  I think coaches do want to get the best players on the field and also have rules and standards for the program they run.  We had the rule if you missed X number of workouts in the summer (It didn't matter if it for work, another sport, vacation, etc) and you didn't get your name on the back of your jersey and had to earn your spot back.  We had a starting DT that didn't get a name on the back of his Jersey until the playoff and had to earn his spot back.  In your situation I for one would have still let him play football after he finished at the tournament, but would have had some kind of repercussion to missing practice in season.