With sports like basketball or track, you’re measured by your stats, whether it’s how far you jumped or your points per game. There are so many things that go into being a student athlete, along with things like your GPA (grade point average) and extra credentials. USAfacts says that “an estimated 55.4% of children aged 6 to 17 played on a sports team or took lessons as of 2023,” and the estimated 13% of those students go on to play at the college level. And if there is a student athlete looking to play sports in college, there has been a debate over whether it is better to be a multi-sport athlete or to specialize in one sport, each offering different positive and negative effects. 

One major positive for being a multi-sport athlete is that you have a higher chance of going to college for sports. NSCA states that “University scouts are more likely to recruit multi-sport athletes because they tend to be more well-rounded athletes with lower injury risks. Plus, 87 percent of NCAA DI athletes and professional athletes are playing sports they probably didn’t even play when they were young. They are multiple-sport athletes who discovered their current sport as they matured.” 

A negative effect of being a multi-sport athlete is little to no rest time in between seasons. Going from a winter to spring sport, there is somewhere between a 0-3 week break, but that’s not counting playoffs, where winter sports go far into spring, and preseason practice that often starts months before the actual season starts.

“I would say that there is both pros and cons to being a multiple sport athlete because in some cases school can get pretty hard trying to keep up on days and classes you miss and there definitely is a wear and tear effect on me sometimes, but also I would say the good out weighs the bad because it helps with things like socializing, it helps with both my mental and physical well being and health, most importantly however it improves my relationships with friends and also family. The memories I have from playing sports will be the memories I will have forever. There is a lot more to it, but I would be going on for hours.”-Jerry Martinez, a part of the Fruita Monument’s football team, wrestling team, and track team.

Being a single-sport athlete also comes with its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is the time you have with being a single-sport athlete. You have more downtime to recover, work on other things like school, or do any other hobby. Free time often helps people to not feel so burnt out and overwhelmed. 

One disadvantage is losing progress, when having too much downtime in between seasons, people tend to get out of shape. “It takes about four to six weeks of consistent exercise to increase your muscle strength and cardiovascular endurance,” says Jennifer Burnham, an athletic trainer at Henry Ford Health. 

“Seeing as how my sport is all year round, it can be overwhelming, but it’s also nice being able to keep up with your physical health. It’s also motivating to look back at the beginning of the year and see how much growth you’ve had. I think it’s better to only have one sport that’s year-round so you’re able to build closer connections with the people on your team,” said Emma Watson, a part of the Fruita Monuments multiple-season cheerleading team.