Bleacher Thread? Two Sport Seasons

[boxout]

I wanted to hear some opinions on the following subject. Do people think it is OK or not OK for an athlete to play multiple sports during the same season? I am talking about the pitcher who also runs on the track team, or the soccer player who kicks for the football team. There are many other examples. Some schools have never allowed this, some are starting too, and some always have.
Oh one more thing, please keep the my son plays AAU basketball and runs track at the same time. I am talking about playing for one school, two teams, same season.

[GNG]

I have no problem with it. If my kids aren't playing sports they are playing video games. I like sports better as long as the kid doesn't get burnt out.

[JT_nh_hs_fan]

The immediate reason that comes to mind as to why you would not want a kid to do this is injury. You see it at a lot of schools. Most football coaches do not want their players to take part in fall basketball, etc. Other schools allow it, but the coach makes it clear he is not a fan of it. There are a few who allow it and the coaches do as well.

I guess it comes down to how serious about the two sports the athlete is. At some point, there is going to be a conflict and you are going to have to choose one over the other. This is especially true in the spring when weather & field conditions cause all kinds of disruptions with a bunch of re-scheduling issues. Also, it’s a tough position for a kid to be in if both teams he/she is playing on are involved in post-season play on the same day.

It is impossible to fully play two sports in the same season. By fully, I mean attend all the practices and games. As long as you are willing to accept you may not get the playing time you think you deserve, I guess some would have no issue with it at all. You just have to understand that even if you are gifted at the two sports, if you are splitting your time between 2 teams, it is inevitable that issues are going to arise from players and parents if you are not attending everything in order to play on another team. If you, your parents, your teammates and coaches are ALL fully aware and have fully disclosed your role on both teams, things may work out. If you really want to do this, it is best to decide which team will be given priority over the other before you start playing.

While I know this does happen, my personal opinion is that I would not be in favor of this. Kids have enough issues they need to deal with in their teen years. There is really no need to add yet another one where there is going to be very good chance of peer pressure to favor one team over the other – even if the player has already decided which team would be the #1. If the other team starts to play above expectation, there is a good chance the player will be pressured by teammates to favor their team over the other.

What happens when the football team kicker has to play a soccer game on the same day? Or even worse, what if they are playoff games? Which team loses out? Would a 16 yr-old be able to hold to his choice of one team over the other?

The AAU basketball – Track team issue is probably not a big deal if your son is using the track team as a way to improve conditioning. If he is a key member of the team or even a possible contender for the state meet/MOC/regionals, I am guessing the AAU basketball team must know he may miss an event or two in order to fulfill the track commitments.

In the end, it really does come down to how important the sport is to you and your roles are to your teams.

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