Why do I do it?

Year to year, high school sports are getting more competitive. In a way, high school sports have become something like a job. As a football player, I can attest to this. Our football workouts started in February–the first game is Aug. 23, six months away. However, this is nothing out of the ordinary.  Off-seasons are becoming shorter and shorter; even out-of-season, athletes are expected to work out in order to compete not only to prepare for opponents, but also within their own team to compete for a starting position. Consequently, this has led more to single-sportathletes. More students focus on a single sport due to the increased amounts of time mandated per sport.

As far as athletes go, I am no different. To focus on football, I dropped baseball after fifth grade, and after eighth grade I stopped playing basketball. My decision was made in part because football is my favorite sport, but in some ways, my decisions to drop other sports were necessary. In order to compete among my own teammates, training for football became a year-round necessity.

I take Advanced Physical Conditioning (APC). On top of that,  I dedicate several hours a week to lifting weights outside of school. During the season, I accumulate countless more hours at practice and watching film. After calculating it out, I came to the realization that I spend nearly 500 hours a year simply training for football games. This does not even include summer practices or football camps. With a single sport taking up close to 500 hours a year, I simply do not have enough time to play a second sport.

The increased specialization begs the question: is this good? On one hand, it’s great. Instead of being decent at two or three sports, I am learning to excel in one. This leads to an increase in the level of competition, and causes me to work harder, become more determined and improve my work ethic. As a single-sportathlete, I understand that, as sports become more competitive, each sport demands more time commitment. On the other hand, has sport specialization has gone out of control? With so much time dedicated to one sport, the student has a greater chance to burn out. Has the welfare of athletes begun to suffer?

So why do I do it? I do it because I enjoy being a single-sport athlete. I love football—from the early mornings in the gym during winter break to every “up-down” during two-a-days. I wouldn’t want to do high school sports any other way.

I’d write more, but I need to get to practice.