Three Sport Athletes Are Dwindling

Track, lacrosse, baseball and softball have slowly started to make their way into everyday conversation for spring athletes. It won’t be long until spring sports are in full swing. Spring is a sign of new life, renewment and sunshine, it is one of the happiest seasons as winter fades from memory. But what about the athletes who are already worn out? Quite a few students play three sports and are heading into spring already tired.

Some athletes claim that they like the variation of sports they get to play while participating in three sports but others don’t have the option of variation. For my team, most of us run cross country, then indoor track and then outdoor track. That is a lot of running all year round. By the time we get to outdoor track, we just want a break. According to some athletes, they enjoy getting the opportunity to practice three unique sports and look forward to each of them. However, it is becoming more and more common that three sport athletes don’t exist. High school athletes are making the decision to specialize in one sport, working on it all year round, rather than moving through three different ones. Licking Valley senior, Kate Donchess, has played soccer since the fourth grade and still to this day dedicates herself to soccer. When I asked Kate if she would ever consider playing another sport she said yes, “but I work two jobs and it would be too tiring.”

Specializing on one sport has shown to reduce injury but can also affect the athletes attitude come senior year. Athletes spend countless hours practicing for their sport and by senior year it can become taxing. As three sport athletes continue to dwindle, will athletes all together start as well? Chances are, no. Sports will continue to be prevalent throughout high schools and colleges around the world. However, athletes are most likely to cut back on the number of sports they partake in and only compete for one season.