A three-sport athlete is a high school student-athlete who participates in three seasons of school sports during the year. This includes a fall sport, a winter sport and a spring sport. In recent years, there has been a noticeable decline in three sport athletes and an increase in kids specializing in one sport. Sports specialization can be very harmful to the athlete and should not be encouraged among kids who participate in high school sports.

Athletes who only play one sport face many injury risks, particularly in overuse injuries. According to a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, athletes who specialize in one sport are almost twice as likely to be injured from being overworked than athletes who play multiple sports. Overuse injuries occur when a muscle or joint is exposed to repetitive stress and eventually cause damage in the athlete’s muscles, bones, ligaments or tendons. If teenagers are playing the same sport constantly, the same muscles and joints are overworked during practices and games because the motions for the sport are always similar. These athletes face repetitive stress on their bodies, but three sport athletes are introduced to different movements during different seasons and sports, which can help prevent these injuries. This can lead to longer careers for high school athletes, collegiate athletes, and professional athletes, and allows athletes to miss less games and practices due to injury and have a smaller risk of injury in the future. 

Players can also lose interest, passion and skill in their sport when they consistently play it throughout the entire year, which is commonly referred to as athletic burnout. Burnout is common among athletes who do not get a break from a sport or only focus on one sport. When an athlete is burnt out, they are more likely to experience overuse injuries because of mental and physical exhaustion, mental health disorders, fatigue and poor performance in games and practices. Playing multiple sports can help prevent burnout, as players are exposed to different practices, coaches, teammates and games which can keep them engaged in their sports. 

When athletes are exposed to multiple sports, they are more likely to play at a collegiate or elite level later in life. According to a study conducted by the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital, high school athletes who were involved in multiple sports had a higher chance of playing a professional sport later in life. These athletes were also able to endure a higher workload and missed less games because of injuries. Athletes who focus on sports specialization later in life also have a greater chance of success in their careers.

Although playing multiple sports is healthier for teenagers, high school athletes are frequently pressured to play sports at the collegiate level, which can encourage them to specialize in one sport. Athletic scholarships are often given out to athletes who are going to compete at Division 1 and Division 2 schools, which can help thousands of students who need financial aid to go to the college of their choice. There are limited spots on rosters, which can make playing at a college level difficult for athletes who do not prioritize and specialize in their sport. Athletes who play three sports seem to be at a disadvantage, as they are less likely to have the opportunity to train for a sport in the off-season, putting them behind other kids their age who are able to focus on one sport. Even though it may seem like multi-sport athletes are disadvantaged, they gain different skills from other sports. For example, someone who plays soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter can gain agility, speed and endurance from soccer and spatial awareness and reactive movement from basketball season. All of these skills they have gained from other seasons can improve their overall performance in a spring sport like lacrosse and make up for training that the athlete was not able to do during the off season. Playing these different sports helps the athlete develop knowledge from other sports that they can apply to another sport and can catch up to other players who specialize in one sport.

Athletes who compete in three seasons of sports are much less likely to become burnt out and injured while playing sports. Teenagers should not have to quit an activity in order to focus on another sport and it is important for parents and coaches to encourage teens to play multiple sports and to watch for signs of burnout or injury in their athletes if they only specialize in one.