David Epstein hypothesizes that hyperspecialization in sports is harming kids and damaging youth sport in America. Epstein supports his claim by explaining that specializing in one sport at a young age has been proven to increase risks of injuries and has also lead to a lesser athletic success. He uses both arguments to support the negative effects of playing one sport by providing a variety of research that support his claim. However, Epstein emphasizes the idea of the performance benefits involved in playing multiple sports more effectively than he does supporting the argument that there have been increase risks of injuries for kids who hyperspecialize in one sport. The author does this by challenging the way we look at youth sports by providing …show more content…
Thus, the skills that are acquired by playing multiple sports help young athletes know the skills and the sports they are genuinely good at. For example, a study from the, “American Medical Society for sports medicine showed that varsity athletes at UCLA- specialized at age 15.4…whereas those who did not make it the intercollegiate level, specialized at age 14.2” (394). Therefore, the student who specialized in their sport during their later mid teen years, showed they had higher athletic success than compared to the athletes who specialized in their sport sooner. The athletes who were more successful most likely played multiple sports before they knew at a later age what sport they were best at. Epstein stated that, “Tiger Woods, demonstrated his swing at age 2 for Bob Hop. But the path of the two-time N.B.A. M.V.P. Steve Nash (who grew up playing soccer and didn’t own a basketball until age 13) or the tennis star Roger Federer (whose parents encouraged him to play badminton, basketball and soccer) is actually the norm” (395). Though Tiger Wood started playing golf at a young age and now is one of the greatest golfer players, this is not really the norm for most athletes. Some athletes may not have the natural gift like Tiger Woods of knowing what sport they are good at a young age. Epstein suggest, “We should urge kids to avoid hyperspecialization and instead sample a variety of sports through at least age 12”(393). Meaning that most young athletes must explore various sports in order acquire the skills needed to become a better all-around athlete. Another study done to look at look at, “sub-elite and elite tennis players — including five who ranked among the top 15 in the world — found that those who topped out at as sub-elites dropped all other sports by age 11. Eventual elites developed in a “harmonious club environment