Early specialization is a growing trend among young athletes. Early specialization is when a young athlete plays one sport (and one sport only) in order to achieve the highest level of skill. However, this is not always the athletes' choice. In many cases, it is their parents who encourage them to practice this sport and continue to involve them in it. There are many mixed opinions on whether specializing at such a young age is good or not. As with any sport, injury is a risk that participants must accept, but early specialization can lead to more frequent injuries as well as psychological problems. Young children who specialize frequently suffer overuse injuries, may lose interest in playing the same sport year-round, and drop out. Burnout is also a common reason why many young athletes drop out of sports. Burnout results from both physical and psychological factors over time. In the article written by James Mandigo, he mentions how specializing in one sport will make you miss out on all the other sports around you. He also mentions some of the common negative side effects of early specialization, such as burnout, social isolation, and overuse injuries, to name a few. It is also worth noting that many upper level and/or elite athletes have competed in many other sports before beginning to specialize in a certain area. The article is aimed at a parental audience trying to inform them that it is acceptable for their child to play multiple sports from a young age, allowing them to take advantage of a wider range of skills. The journal article Early Sport Specialization: Roots, Effectiveness and Risks also mentions the disadvantages of early specialization. Risks mentioned in this article include over-reliance, manipulation, ...... middle of paper ...... op many different motor skills instead of just sport-specific skills. Works CitedMalina, RM (2010). Early sports specialization: roots, effectiveness, risks. Current Reports in Sports Medicine, 9(6), 364-371. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=caafbc2a-936b-4425-bcd7-c4befb4576bd@sessionmgr110&vid=2&hid=103Capranica, L. and Millard-Stafford , M. L. (2011). Youth sports specialization: How to manage competition and training? International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 6(4), 572-579. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f3b4989f-f949-42d8-b6f0-1f0e000486c0@sessionmgr111&vid=2&hid=103Mandigo, J. (2013, April 02). Should children specialize in one sport? Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/parents/2013/04/should-kids-specialize-in-one-sport.html