Why Kids Should Play Multiple Sports, According to Division I College Coaches
In today’s youth sports culture, there’s a growing push for early specialization in a single sport. However, some of the top college coaches in the country emphasize the importance of playing multiple sports for a child’s development.
Coaches like Notre Dame lacrosse’s Kevin Corrigan, West Virginia football’s Neal Brown, Louisiana Tech football’s Sonny Cumbie, TCU football’s Sonny Dykes, and Kansas State baseball’s Pete Hughes shared their perspectives on why parents should encourage their children to explore a variety of sports during their respective guest appearances on the Championship Parenting podcast.
The Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation
Kevin Corrigan, head coach of Notre Dame's lacrosse team, believes playing multiple sports helps kids become well-rounded athletes. "Play because you love the game, play because you enjoy it," he advises. For Corrigan, the variety of sports contributes to both physical and mental growth, while also preserving a child’s passion for sports.
Pete Hughes, Kansas State’s head baseball coach, echoes this sentiment. Having coached at four different Division I schools, Hughes has always pushed for athletes who play multiple sports. “If I'm recruiting two kids that are equal in the sport of baseball, I'm taking the kid that plays football over the kid that just plays baseball in the fall,” he says. Hughes believes that football, in particular, teaches toughness, discipline, and how to handle adversity—all traits that translate into success on the baseball field.
Key Takeaway: Multi-sport participation provides a wider range of physical skills and mental challenges, which can help shape well-rounded athletes.
Learning Life Lessons Through Different Sports
Neal Brown, West Virginia University's head football coach, attributes many of his life lessons to playing multiple sports as a child. Brown played basketball, baseball, and football growing up, and he believes those experiences shaped his character. "I've learned more life lessons on a basketball court, a baseball field, or a football field than I did sitting in a classroom," Brown shares.
Brown encourages his children to participate in various sports to expose them to different types of coaches and teammates. For him, playing multiple sports isn't just about athletic development; it's about teaching kids how to work hard, be a team player, and overcome adversity. Brown’s philosophy is about keeping kids engaged in the process rather than focusing solely on outcomes.
Key Takeaway: Participation in different sports helps kids learn teamwork, discipline, and resilience—skills that are transferable to every aspect of life.
Preventing Burnout and Keeping It Fun
Sonny Cumbie, the head coach at Louisiana Tech, is keenly aware of the pressures that young athletes face today. He notes that children today are often more focused on emulating professional athletes than mastering the basics of sports. This pressure can lead to burnout, especially when kids are pushed to specialize too early. Cumbie recalls his own childhood playing multiple sports. "We would play whatever sport it was that season," he says. "If it was baseball, we were playing baseball. If it was basketball, it was basketball. And if it was football, we were footballing.”
Cumbie has taken this approach with his sons, allowing them to play various sports based on their interests. "If you choose to do something, you're going to finish it. And then if you don't want to do it next year, then you don't do it the next year," he advises. This strategy allows children to explore different activities without the pressure to specialize before they are ready, keeping the experience fun and exciting.
Key Takeaway: Allowing kids to explore different sports can help prevent burnout and keep their focus on fun and learning, rather than on competition and results.
Building Toughness and Adaptability
Pete Hughes is not only a proponent of multi-sport participation but also actively seeks athletes with a diverse sports background. He highlights the benefits of football in particular, saying, "It teaches toughness, discipline, and makes you do stuff that's not comfortable at a high level. That translates into wins on the baseball field. You don’t get that in the fall baseball league; you get that on Friday nights." Hughes adds that he prefers to sign baseball players who have also played football, as they bring a different level of grit to the diamond.
Similarly, TCU's head football coach, Sonny Dykes, who played multiple sports in his youth, believes that different sports teach adaptability and a diverse skill set. “We all played all the sports growing up from a very young age, and that’s kind of what got me into athletics," Dykes shares. By encouraging his children to play various sports, Dykes hopes to foster their physical and mental development in a way that one sport alone cannot achieve.
Key Takeaway: Multi-sport athletes tend to develop better toughness, discipline, and adaptability, which can enhance their performance in their chosen sport later on.
Practical Tips for Parents
Encourage Exploration: Allow your child to try different sports to see what they enjoy and excel in. Their interests may change over time, so keep options open.
Set Expectations: If your child chooses to play a sport, encourage them to commit to finishing the season. This teaches them responsibility without pressuring them to specialize too early.
Focus on Fundamentals: Regardless of the sport, emphasize practicing the basics. This builds a strong foundation for any athletic endeavor.
Avoid Burnout: Keep the focus on fun and exploration. Let your child play different sports to keep them engaged and prevent overuse injuries.
Stay Involved: Listen to your child’s interests and be supportive, whether they want to play one sport or many.
By promoting multi-sport participation, you help your child build a well-rounded foundation of physical skills, mental toughness, and a lifelong love for sports. As these college coaches demonstrate, the path to success isn’t found in early specialization, but in a diverse sports experience that teaches kids to love the game, work hard, and handle adversity.
For more insight on parenting and leadership from the brightest minds in American sports, subscribe to Championship Parenting wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are published every Tuesday.
