Why kids shouldn't specialize in one sport

“The more you’re exposed to, the better opportunity it is for all kids to figure out what they really want to do in life.” – Four time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady on kids

specializing in one sport.

I completely agree with one of the all-time greats. Part of growing up and being a kid is trying new things and figuring out what you enjoy most. Brady stated that he is hoping his kids are “late bloomers” who can learn to love a lot of sports throughout their childhood.

Specialization in one sport at a young age can also lead to mental and physical exhaustion, better known as burnout. As a child, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to a multi-sports environment. Nothing was more refreshing than starting a new sport at the end of another one. As much as I enjoy all sports, I couldn’t imagine just playing one throughout my childhood. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine said that studies of college level and Olympic athletics found that the majority of them played multiple sports growing up and did not specialize early.

Let’s open the world of sports to all the young athletes out there and give them every possibility to succeed in the game of life!