Early specialization, unfortunately, is starting to make sense to many families from both an economic and convenience perspective. And while it's still a bad idea from an athlete development sense (and there are certainly some that specialize with that in mind) it's gaining traction.
Excellent article, thanks Bill.
The increasing pressures to specialise in 1 sport early is also surely an issue.
Sports like football, swimming and tennis especially.
Would be interesting to look at some current high performers and trace there youth activities timelines.
Early specialization, unfortunately, is starting to make sense to many families from both an economic and convenience perspective. And while it's still a bad idea from an athlete development sense (and there are certainly some that specialize with that in mind) it's gaining traction.