Throughout the past few decades it seemed like most student athletes played more than one sport. Some of their reasoning include staying conditioned for a main sport, developing strength in different parts of the body, or even just to enjoy multiple sports, but statistically speaking, the numbers of multi-sport athletes have dropped drastically. Why is that?

I spoke to Molly Conway, a sophomore at North High School who has played volleyball. softball, gymnastics, track, and dance in her life. Recently, Molly Conway became a single-sport athlete for volleyball. When asked about the benefits of focusing on only one sport, Conway said, “I am able to manage my time better with school, work, friends, and family.” But, when asked about any regrets, Conway responded with, “I regret quitting, especially with gymnastics. I always wonder how good I could be right now if I would’ve kept doing it.”

When I interviewed Joe Arko, a sophomore at North High School who is a multi-sport athlete currently with hockey and golf, he filled me in on the lift of being a multi-sport athlete. When asked about what Arko likes about playing multiple sports, he said, “I don’t have to stick to the same sport year round. I can get my mind off one thing and have fun with another.” When asked about benefits of playing hockey and golf, Arko responded with, “Since I’ve concentrated on these two sports, I have been able to stay in shape for off-seasons and cross-train to develop muscles that I normally wouldn’t develop playing only one sport.”

In conclusion, there are many positives and many negatives of playing only one sport or many sports. Playing multiple sports can be costly and can also increase your chance of injury. But, playing multiple sports can help you develop differen muscles and also expose you to new social situations that could improve your character. More athletes should consider playing multiple sports to not only improve their athleticism, but also their personalities.