AD 360 – Multi-Sport Participation

Podcast: AD 360
Hosts: Greg Vandermade & Scott Rosenberg
Date: January 28, 2025
Episode Theme: The value, challenges, and strategies for fostering multi-sport participation among high school student athletes.

Episode Overview

In this episode, Greg Vandermade and Scott Rosenberg, both former athletic directors, tackle the increasingly hot-button issue of multi-sport participation in high school athletics. Against a backdrop of rising youth sports specialization and the rise of club and travel teams, the hosts break down why playing multiple sports is so beneficial for students—and what schools, coaches, and parents can do to make it more common again.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Benefits of Multi-Sport Participation

• Physical Development and Injury Prevention
  • Exposure to different movements & skills helps athletes become more well-rounded and reduces overuse injuries like ACL tears.

    “You’ll see studies out there that show student athletes that participated in multiple sports actually have injury rate reductions...”
    (Greg, 05:58)

  • Different sports develop different muscle groups and promote overall athleticism.
• Mental Benefits
  • Switching sports can provide much-needed mental breaks and keep students more engaged and less burned out.

    “Mentally getting a break from one sport and one mindset is helpful. And obviously most sports or many sports translate really well to other sports.”
    (Scott, 03:52)

• Team Culture & Social Development
  • Multi-sport participation expands social circles, exposes students to varied peer groups and experiences, and develops leadership and adaptability.
• Program Health and Sustainability
  • At many schools, especially smaller ones, multiple-sport athletes are essential for fielding full teams and competitive programs.

    “…the need for your kids to participate in more than one sport just to have success…so that maybe those kids who it is their number one sport have the opportunity to play that sport at their school because you have enough bodies.”
    (Scott, 03:52)

2. Addressing Common Misconceptions

• Increased Injury Risk?
  • Myth: Playing multiple sports increases the chance of injury.
  • Reality: Specializing too early is more risky due to repetitive strain.

    “Actually the opposite is going to take place… getting different stimuluses and stressors helps strengthen not only the musculature but also your connective tissue.”
    (Greg, 10:18)

• ‘Falling Behind’ or Hurting Recruitment Chances?
  • Myth: To be recruited for college, athletes must specialize early.
  • Reality: Most college coaches prefer multi-sport athletes.

    “…time after time after time I would hear from [college] coaches that they would prefer a kid was a multiple sport athlete versus, you know, single sport. So that was the biggest misconception.”
    (Scott, 13:24)

3. Impact of Club and Travel Teams (Year-Round Sports Culture)

• The growth of club sports has radically changed the landscape:
  • Increased pressure for year-round participation and single-sport focus.
  • Clubs, often for-profit, have financial incentives to “lock in” kids early.
  • College recruiting in many sports now centers on club tournaments rather than high school games.
  • Coexistence, rather than opposition, must be the approach for ADs and coaches.

    “You’ve got to be able to sit there and say for almost every sport out there…kids are mostly going to get recruited from that club scene versus the high school scene.”
    (Scott, 14:18)

• Schools must adapt policies for excused absences and flexibility—and avoid making kids “choose sides.”
• Coaches and ADs have to “operate in the gray”—not rigid black and white policies—when it comes to balancing multi-sport and club demands.

  “Your policies probably can’t be black and white on this kind of stuff. There probably has to be some gray involved…”
  (Scott, 20:10)

4. Practical Challenges for Multi-Sport Students and Families

• Scheduling and Time Management
  • Overlapping seasons, practices, and club commitments can create logistical headaches.
  • Students risk burnout if overloaded; open communication is critical.
• Peer Pressure
  • Kids may face negative peer pressure from teammates for missing “offseason” workouts or splitting loyalties.

    “Peer pressure…is real and you have to be able to address it…and mitigate them and educate your program…”
    (Greg, 23:49)

• Academic Balance
  • Maintaining grades while juggling sports and (sometimes) jobs is a significant pressure.
• Financial Access
  • The cost of club and multiple school sports can limit participation for some families.

5. Role of ADs and Coaches: Fostering a Multi-Sport Culture

• Hiring and Staff Development
  • Selecting coaches who embrace and actively encourage multi-sport participation is key.

    “…that has to be really important questions that you ask during the interview process…you need to make sure that coaches are on board with your philosophy or your athletic department philosophy for multi sport athletes.”
    (Scott, 27:14)

  • ADs should make the multi-sport philosophy clear from the outset.
• Collaboration and Communication
  • Coaches must coordinate on shared athletes, set realistic off-season expectations, and avoid “siloing” players.

    “Make sure those coaches are having communication with one another like, hey, we share a student athlete. What are your expectations?”
    (Greg, 30:16)

• Recognition and Positive Messaging
  • Celebrate and highlight the achievements of multi-sport athletes—in team meetings, on social media, etc.
  • Coaches need to be publicly supportive so the team culture supports, not shames, these students.

    “Find ways to champion student athletes that are participating in multiple sports… Because there's ebbs and flows…”
    (Greg, 35:13)

• Active Policy Leadership
  • ADs set the overall program culture; coaches set the team’s.
  • Avoid internal competition and negative talk between coaches over “ownership” of athletes.
• Flexibility Beyond Athletics
  • Show similar flexibility/support for “multi-activity” students (band, choir, drama, etc.), further promoting holistic student growth.

    “It's not just going to be able to be working with the multi sport athlete, it's the multi activity athlete too… The same approach can be taken for that as well.”
    (Greg, 21:58)

6. Role of Parents

• Modeling Positive Attitudes
  • Kids learn from how parents talk about coaches, teams, and other athletes—demonstrate positive support, not negativity.
• Education and Advocacy
  • Parents must inform themselves of the true benefits and risks, and participate in decisions accordingly.
  • Understand and communicate the value of multi-sport participation.

    “…parents just have to educate themselves just as much. They're going to make their own decisions, but making sure at least that the decision is an educated one.”
    (Scott, 39:35)

• Financial and Logistical Support
  • Help kids navigate conflicting schedules, finances, and coping with outside pressures.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On AD Leadership:

  “As the athletic director, you're the leader of the culture of your program.”
  (Scott, 33:23)

• On Early Specialization:

  “One of them that bothers me… is we're drilling into their head so young. This is what you are. And whether it's, 'I'm a baseball player or I play volleyball or I'm softball,' you don't even know.”
  (Greg, 05:58)

• On Collaboration:

  “Your policies probably can't be black and white on this kind of stuff. There probably has to be some gray involved…”
  (Scott, 20:10)

• On the Power of Coaching Influence:

  “The impact that you have as a coach on a student athlete cannot be underscored. … You've got to take it seriously and you gotta find ways to elevate them regardless of whatever their pursuits are.”
  (Greg, 39:01)

• Heartwarming Anecdote:

  “The kid had never gone home on the bus right after school because he was involved in three sports...I was like, man, I love this kid. This is awesome.”
  (Scott, 09:03)

• Cultural Shift Example:

  “I was at a game, football game here in town and I was watching the marching band at halftime…there was one kid in there in his football uniform, he was a lineman and he was literally in his football uniform doing the marching band performance.”
  (Scott, 22:33)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:49] – Episode’s Main Topic Introduced: Multi-sport participation, why it's important, and what ADs can do
• [03:52] – Advantages of being a multi-sport athlete (Scott)
• [05:58] – Greg’s perspective on holistic benefits and early specialization issues
• [09:03] – Anecdote: The always-at-practice student
• [10:18] – Misconceptions around multi-sport participation (injury risk, skill loss, recruitment)
• [13:24] – College coaches prefer multi-sport athletes
• [14:18] – Impact of travel teams/club sports on school sports and athlete choices
• [20:10] – “Kids get stuck in the middle” – importance of flexible and empathetic school policies
• [22:33] – Supporting multi-activity kids (marching band & football anecdote)
• [23:49] – Challenges: Peer pressure, time management, risk of burnout
• [27:14] – What ADs can do: Hiring and culture-building for multi-sport encouragement
• [30:16] – Coaches collaborating for student benefit
• [33:23] – Leadership culture: Stories of coach collaboration/conflict
• [35:13] – Coaches celebrating multi-sport participation—impact on team culture
• [39:35] – The role (and influence) of parents in encouraging or discouraging multi-sport kids

Conclusion

Greg and Scott make a compelling, practical, and passionate argument for the benefits of multi-sport participation in high school. They address the pressures and structural realities that work against it, but emphasize that with proactive leadership, flexibility, and communication, schools can still foster a robust culture where kids reap the lifelong rewards of multiple athletic—and extracurricular—experiences.

For inspiration, practical strategies, and a fresh perspective on student-centered athletics, this episode is essential listening for ADs, coaches, parents, and anyone who cares about youth sports.