The other side to the "Multi-Sport Athlete"

[benjey]

I usually chuckle when I hear about the benefits of the multi-sport athlete.

I especially laugh when I would hear this at college camps from the coaches and wondered why they didn't finish the statement with the truth " I love multi sport athletes", "as long as softball is their priority and it doesn't interfere with the year round practice required to develop as a softball player, doesn't interfere with them travelling the country to the top showcases where I expect them to be playing on the top fields so I can easily watch them, and doesn't interfere with their academics" But given all that yes they love multi-sport athletes

Everyone loves them unless it interferes with their sport in any way

 

[uncdrew]

My wife ran track in college (D3) and the volleyball coach wanted her to play as well but she said no thank you. Playing 2 sports in college would be really,really difficult. There were a few kids on my baseball team (D3) who played football and one who played hockey so it is doable.

Studying? What's that?

 

[uncdrew]

Nice. My alma mater Tufts won 3 National Championships in a row a few years back but only because they had a kid who was good enough to pitch in NPF. They have been mediocre since. The current coach is the wife of a kid I played baseball with (briefly for me) there.

My wife went to Tufts. Go Jumbos!

 

[BT3100]

My wife went to Tufts. Go Jumbos!

Great school!!!

 

[RichK]

Should be said: playing multiple sports in high school is easier/possible if you aren't also playing travel in those sports. There's the rub, to be honest....

 

[uncdrew]

I remember in high school I had a good friend who was Varsity in the three big sports (at a huge, public high school). A really good guy, big and tall. Went on to play TE at Arizona State and did well. Made the Miami Dolphins after that.

I'm pretty old. There wasn't really travel ball. All Stars was the pinnacle -- you make that team and your season is extended about a month, you get the best coach of the bunch, and you play a bit more. As far as I remember, there weren't private lessons, in the off-season you didn't touch the sport (other than goofing around with your pals).

I was about 10 years out of high school when a friend told me her little brother played baseball 12 months a year. Something changed dramatically in that time span. Somewhere in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

It's understandable that it changed to what we have now. I still find it insane that I drive at dawn every Saturday (it seems) to watch my 10 year old play as much softball as a girl can possibly squeeze into a day.

 

[_MIA_]

Studying? What's that?

They were not Engineering majors...lol. I remember that before I quit baseball one of the kids on my baseball team told me I should tryout for the basketball. The coach overheard this and said "He has a hard enough time playing baseball" He wasn't wrong but that guy really loved me....

 

[ang2bmd]

Mine is a freshman. Plays soccer, basketball and softball. Softball is the only one we go to lessons for and that she plays all year. Its not at all unusual that she goes to a lesson or lifts weights after practice for one of her sports. This year she took 6 weeks off without touching a softball because I made her. Just about killed her but reminded her how much she loves the game. High school basketball is about to end and softball will start in March. Who knows if she will be able to or even want to play all 3 every year. In my house growing up if you didn't play a sport and have good grades you had to have a job. If you played a sport it was your job. We didn't pay a dime for college so I'm using their strategy for my kids. Hope it works..

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Vertigo]

I just think some kids are natural athletes more so than others. Doesn’t mean one is better than the other; doesn’t mean that a multi sport athlete can’t play D1.

It’s similar to the utility player vs the one position-only player. The multi sport athletes seem to gravitate toward being the utility players as you can take them from let’s say SS/2B and also have them play OF since they typically can pick up things rather quickly as they have great body awareness. If they also can hit, obviously they are invaluable to a coach. The pitcher-only player, for example, while great at her craft, might be pigeonholed to PO, especially at the higher levels. That is ok, as well if that is what the player is happy with and what they have worked towards.

As more colleges at all the levels seem to be going the multi-pitcher route, my dd will still have a good chance to be on the field when she’s not pitching, and I attribute that to the fact that she’s played multiple sports, as well as embraced playing other positions. If she only pitched year-around and only focused on softball, I don’t believe she’d be as versatile. Again, nothing wrong with that as they all have different goals for their specific sport.

For the players who have a very specific role - mostly P/C who want to play D1 (due to the amount of work that goes into excelling at those positions), I do think that focusing only on their sport might be the way to go unless they are a truly exceptional athlete. I do feel that MIF and OF, for example, can still play other sports in HS and still have an excellent chance at playing D1.

 

[KrisHur]

The term "Jack of all, master of none" came about for a reason. That said, if a kid isn't super serious about any particular sport or looking for a scholarship (or be honest-is particularly talented) let them do what they want. They are young once and after HS most will never play a sport again in their life. If they like volleyball, play it. If they like basketball, play it. But should be on a team where other kids have the same mindset or get used to the idea of sitting when they miss softball practice/games for the other sports and watch their "specialized" teammates grow while they possibly don't. Just my .02 EDIT to add, DD was a top 12 tennis player in our region USTA, at 12 it was tough to play both so she chose SB. I wish she chose tennis, she was better at that, but it's her life.