Sport Specialization in Youth: A Literature Review

Journal of the American Chiropractic Association, Apr 2004 by Hecimovich, Mark

Because of the controversy surrounding this topic, a better understanding of the impact of sport specialization on health and sport management is needed in the sports community-among athletes, coaches, parents, athletic directors, health care providers, media, and sports governing bodies.

DISCUSSION

Youth Sport Participation

The involvement of preadolescents in organized sports is a relatively recent phenomenon. In the early 20th century, physical activity was a regular part of the average child's life. Sports and games provided an additional outlet for physical activity and were characterized by play that was generally spontaneous, unstructured, and without adult involvement.11 Public schools during this time were the primary source of organized sports, but competitive sport for youth in elementary and middle schools began shifting toward non-school programs by the 1930s as national youth agencies (e.g., YMCA), national youth sport organizations (e.g., Little League Baseball), national governing bodies (e.g., USA Gymnastics), and local service clubs (e.g., Eugene Emerald KidSports) gained prominence.12

Youth sports participation rates have been estimated between 2013 and 35 million14 annually, including 6 to 8 million in school programs.15 Although more than 17 million children and adolescents in the United States participate in an organized non-school-sponsored sport,16 between one-fourth and one-half of the participants stop playing in any given year.16-18 Attrition was higher for black students and students who had sustained athletic injuries.16

Many challenges face today's educators and professionals involved in youth sport: (a) declining participation levels at certain ages, especially for girls; (b) the prominence of untrained coaches at both the community and school levels; (c) the pressure by adults to have youths specialize earlier in a sport, resulting in year-round seasons and the probability of earlier attrition or burnout; and (d) the need for more opportunities for at-risk youth.14

Nevertheless, during the 2000-2001 school year, both boys' and girls' participation in high school athletic programs increased for the 12th consecutive year.19 Nationwide, 62.4% of high school students reported participation on one or more school and/or non-school sport team in the previous year. Across all ethnic groups, male students (69.9%) were more likely than female students (53.4%) to participate in sports. Participation of younger students (65.6%) was higher than that of older students (58.1%), and white students (65.4%) were more likely than African American (55.2%) or Hispanic students (52.5%) to participate. The majority of sports participants played on school teams (22.5%) or a combination of school and nonschool teams (29%). Only 11% of all students participated only on a team run by an organization outside of school.20

Current Trends in Sport Specialization

Guttman21 has referred to specialization within youth sports as a reflection of a highly developed society. Rewards for expertise in a specific area outweigh generalized knowledge or skills, leading to competition for those specialized roles-and to specialization among youth athletes at progressively earlier ages. With a substantial body of evidence suggesting that elite performers require more than 10 years of practice to acquire the necessary skills and expertise to perform at the international level,22 it is no wonder that parents are having their children specialize, and at earlier ages.