After having a debate with some friends, I began to think about what we were talking about.  Is it better for a high school student to be a single or multi-sport athlete if he or she is trying to play a sport in college?  For example, would it be better for someone looking to play football in college to also play basketball?  Out of thirty high school students I asked, nineteen said multiple sport athletes and eleven said single sport athletes. I’m going to make the case for both.

Some coaches want to see a student athlete play more than one sport so they can gain as much athletic ability as possible.  By playing different sports, you can improve your athleticism for the game you are looking to get recruited in.  Think of it like this.  If your main sport is football and you also play basketball, your hand eye coordination from playing basketball will help you become a better football player.  When an athlete plays more than one sport, it prevents them from being lazy in the off season.  Another good argument for of playing multiple sports is, that you have options on which sport you want to play in college.  If, of course, you’re good enough to play on the collegiate level for each one.  This was the case for David Winfield, except at the professional level.  Winfield got drafted to the MLB, NBA, and NFL.  He chose the baseball path and ended up in the MLB Hall of Fame.  Because of his multi-sport history, he was named third overall best athlete by ESPN.  This proves the case that multi-sport athletes are commonly better overall athletes.  There have also been many cases where an athlete will start off playing one sport and then move to another.  A good example of this is New York Giants’ defensive end, Jason Pierre-Paul.  Pierre-Paul went to University of Southern Florida to play basketball, but then switched to football, a sport in which he now has a very successful career.  He says that basketball has made him a better football player and athlete in general.

David Winfield

Some people believe that focusing all your attention on one sport will allow you to have a better opportunity to play in college.  By playing and training in one sport year round, you can become the best player you can be.  When you’re not in season, you can focus on certain aspects of your game that need improvement and therefore making you a well-rounded player.  It also shows complete dedication to the sport to coaches that want to know if you are serious about the game.  When you play one sport, there is no chance of getting hurt while playing another sport.  This is the main reason serious athletes in one sport will likely not play another.  They are worried about injuring themselves badly and not being able to play during their season.  The famous case of Bo Jackson makes people worried to compete in two or more sports.  Bo Jackson had potential to be a hall of famer in both the MLB and the NFL.  One injury while playing football ended his career in the MLB and the NFL.

Playing one sport can actually put you at high injury risk too.  When specializing in one games, muscles and body parts that are not constantly used become weak; therefore, increasing risk of injury to those body parts.

I wish I could give a definite answer in which is better, but it all depends on your situation.  There are so many variables that go into this decision making process that I can not make a generalized statement on which is more beneficial.  However, if you’re not looking to play in college, I would suggest trying your hand at a couple sports.  Why not?  You may find a sport you really like and meet some friends along the way.