Pros and Cons
What are the pros?
The thing that is important to remember about both Stack and Eytel’s articles, as well as the research they’ve done, is they’re about benefits specific to a multisport high school athlete. The benefits are only magnified by the higher level of play at the collegiate level. But while multisport versatility has great value for those hoping to become a recruited athlete, it’s not often seen as important enough for coaches to let you keep doing it.
What are the cons?
In college sports, the truth is that success is expected of every individual program, especially the revenue-producing sports like college football. The football team is the football coach’s absolute top priority, and the same is true for the basketball team, the baseball team, the soccer team, and so on. Each student athlete is a resource, and coaches tend not to want to share those resources. It is very risky.
Physical risks
Think about it this way: if you run cross country and you pull a muscle during a race, your coach can accept that because it happens to competitive runners sometimes. It’s normal and unavoidable. But if you pull a muscle during the lacrosse season and that prevents you from running cross country, it’ll be a lot harder for your coach to accept they’re without one of their runners due to something that could have easily been avoided.
Commitment and time
Physical risks aren’t the only issue, either. College athletics require a huge time commitment, and that has to be balanced with everything else a student needs to do to be successful, like going to class, studying, eating, sleeping, working and socializing. A recent NCAA GOALS survey showed that the average Division I varsity athlete spends 33 out of the 168 hours in every week on athletics. But that does not include activities specific to student-athletes like academic meetings, training sessions, time with sports psychologists, hosting recruits, and so on.
The same survey showed that 67 percent of Division I athletes believe they spend as much or more time on athletics during the offseason as during their competitive season. Playing multiple sports only raises those percentages, leaving even less time for everything else and that can be a major challenge for a college student in making it to graduation.
Should you be playing two sports in college?
Ultimately, it’s up to each student athlete to carefully weigh what they can handle. Before you even begin, think strategically. Don’t even consider playing two sports during the same season. Give some thought to other ways to balance your commitment, too, like playing one individual sport and one team sport, or playing one club sport in the offseason of another varsity sport. Be sure you are familiar with the eligibility requirements for the national athletic association you want to compete in, and the answers to questions like, “What does redshirt mean in college sports?”
Part of your decision when comparing potential colleges should also be to find out both the workload as well as what kind of support you can expect from what you get there. For example, expectations are different at Division II schools or Division III schools compared to junior colleges or schools who compete in the NAIA.
James Kluckhohn, an assistant athletic director at North Central College, looked at the issue like this: “Playing multiple sports in college can be great. You gain different experiences in each sport and diversify your skillset. (But) it can be difficult to do all that is required to be your best in a single sport while doing multiple sports. There will be things you may not be able to do that would help you in a particular sport. (What’s important is) finding coaches who support your commitment to developing your talents in multiple sports.”
Take the Next Step
Kluckhohn went on to stress that “Student-athletes need to find a place that fits their needs and will help them develop. Your (time in college) should not be about how much athletic scholarship you can earn but how much you can grow as a person and (finding a place) you will have support, guidance and opportunities to develop all your interests.”
If you’re among the thousands of prospective student athletes, look for a college like North Central College. North Central works with student-athletes to help them balance their time, gain access to the academic support they need, and prepare excellently for the next step in their professional journey—whether it involves sports or not. Besides that, North Central has a tradition of excellence in NCAA Division III schools competition, including 40 team national championships and 142 individual and relay national titles. Get more information on North Central and get started on your college journey today!
Jacob Imm is a communications specialist in the North Central College Office of Marketing and Communications. He has 11 years of collegiate communications experience and has worked with hundreds of college students. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University.
Sources:
Tyler Johnson. Stack.com. “5 Reasons College Coaches Love to Recruit Multi-Sport Athletes.”
https://www.stack.com/a/5-reasons-college-coaches-love-recruiting-multi-sport-athletes/
Chelsea Eytel. National Scouting Report. “Multi-Sport Athletes vs. Single Sport Athletes — The Pros and Cons.”
https://www.nsr-inc.com/scouting-news/multi-sport-athletes-vs-single-sport-athletes/
NCAA.org. “Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete.”
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/CBSA.pdf
