Early specialization is a growing trend among young athletes. Early specialization occurs when a young athlete plays one sport (and only one sport) to reach the highest skill level. However, it is not always the athlete's choice. In many cases it is their parents who introduced them to sport and continue to let them participate. There are many conflicting opinions on whether specializing at such a young age is good or not. As in any sport, injuries are a risk that participants must accept, but early specialization can lead to more frequent injuries and psychological problems. Young children who are specializing suffer frequent 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 occurs over time due to both physical and psychological factors. In the article written by James Mandigo he mentions how specializing in one sport will make you miss out on all other sports around you. It also mentions some of the negative side effects common with early specialization such as burnout, social isolation, and overuse injuries, just to name a few. We also note that many top-level and/or elite athletes participated in many other sports before starting to specialize in a certain area. The article is aimed at an audience of parents and seeks to inform them that it is right for their children to play more sports at a young age, which allows them to draw on a wider range of skills. The journal article Early Sport Specialization: Roots, Effectiveness and Risks also mentions the negative aspects of early specialization. Risks mentioned in this article include overdependence, manipulation, ... middle of paper ... many different motor skills rather than just sport-specific skills. Works Cited Malina, R. M. (2010). Early sports specialization: roots, effectiveness, risks. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 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., & Millard- Stafford, M. L. (2011). Specialization in youth sports: how to manage competition and training?. International Journal of Sport 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