Introduction:

Today, children are choosing to specialize in a specific sport much earlier.  Much like the pro’s, they’re realizing some of the benefits of solely concentrating on one sport as opposed to practising several different sports.  In sports like hockey, football, tennis, and others, there are special skills that need to be developed early if you want to progress to the professional level.  With the total cost of postsecondary education on the rise and projected to balloon to approximately, $34,692.00 for a four-year undergraduate program at a Canadian University by 2020, parents are considering it a wise investment to have their children pursue an athletic scholarship.  As a result of this recent change in the sports landscape, we are bearing witness to some incredible results quicker.  More pitchers in high school are throwing ninety-plus fastballs than ever before.  High school quarterbacks are picking up sophisticated offensive schemes.  Sprinters are breaking the ten-second barrier at increasingly younger ages, but at what cost?  Regrettably, these remarkable changes have brought some negative repercussions.  Younger athletes are facing an increase in sports-related injuries and face the pressure to take performance-enhancing drugs (PED).  What can be done to better prepare youngsters for a long and safe future in athletics?

Every sport comes with a risk of injury:

In today’s sports climate words like, Tommy John surgery, torn ACL, and ruptured Achilles tendon is readily known terms that cause the sports fan to puzzlingly shake their heads as if to say, not another one.  Twenty-five percent of active major league pitchers have had ulnar collateral ligament surgery (Tommy John)  In basketball, anterior cruciate ligament tear (ACL) has seen a spike over the years, an average of 4.5 players a season deal with this injury.  Sport has turned into an eight to ten-month a year job for aspiring athletes and professionals.  In this generation of Little League baseball, travel teams, Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and summer league teams, it’s no wonder, athletes are tired.  This lack of rest can also increase the chances of getting injured.

The off-season for professional athletes used to be a time for rest and relaxation.  That has changed over the years and has become a time for athletes to work on their skills and fitness.  A time to bring something new to their game so they can advance their careers or in some cases, prolong it.  The offseason is a time for them to take what was once a weakness and turn it into a strength.  For young and aspiring athletes the off-season has whittled down to a few weeks as well.  Before they know it, they will be back on the pitch, court, or track working on their craft under the watchful eyes of a coach.  This lack of rest wears down the body in a significant way.  

Let’s take a look at what happens to the body after a hard workout.  Your body is physically taxed after a hard session.  While working out you very quickly use up your glucose and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stores.  After that, extra oxygen is required to produce more (ATP).  If not enough oxygen is pumped to the exercising muscles from the blood, lactic acid and other waste products will build.  The soreness that is felt after a hard workout is chemical changes occurring in the muscle, as well as, little micro-tears that require proper time to rest and recover.  Ignoring these signals may lead to more serious injuries.  

Could this be one of the reasons for the increased use of PED by younger athletes?

Repetitive motion injuries make up over fifty percent of all athletic-related injuries seen by doctors.  Doing the same action over and over again in your sport can lead to a breakdown in the joints and increase your chances of getting injured.  A large percentage of athletes take PED’s (legal or illegal) to aid in recovery.  The quicker you recover, the more work you can do.  The more work you can do the better your skills become and the more money you can make.  Some athletes justify the risk of taking illegal drugs if they are able to elevate their families out of a life of financial hardship.  They are compelled to take these drugs to lessen their recovery time with the hope of elevating and/or, prolonging their careers.  I think a decision earlier on in the child’s development to help create a more multi-dimensional athlete will enable them to withstand the rigours of a professional season.  

The decision sounds quite simple: Play other sports,

(Michael Jordan 5 time NBA MVP)

Get that child involved with another sport.  This not only gets them out of the house but I would argue, it helps them in the sport they hope to progress in.  The body gets a chance to go in a different direction; jump instead of skate, throw instead of kick, and run backwards instead of forward.  This change will help to develop the body as a whole thus creating balance.  Moreover, when the child goes back to their sport of choice this creates a longing and a drive that is going to be needed to get to the next level.  After all, Michael Jordan (Six-time NBA Champion) played Little League baseball, Lebron James ( Three-time NBA Champion) played high school football and Russell Wilson ( NFL Super Bowl Champion) played minor league baseball. 

( Russell Wilson, NFL Super Bowl Champion)

Conclusion:

There is a tremendous opportunity available to young aspiring athletes.  There are coaches and trainers that are well equipped to give young athletes the guidance they need to succeed in sports.  A lot of children are taking advantage of those opportunities but unfortunately, there is an unavoidable “ baggage” that comes along with it.  The cost of starting out early and focusing on one sport can lead to an increased risk of injuries, PED use, and unbalanced bodies not able to withstand the pressure of a professional season.  Introducing variety will help to alleviate the pressure on their young bodies and will hopefully lead to a long productive career in the sport of their choice.