What's wrong with being a two-sport athlete? You've got Deion Sanders. You've got Bo Jackson. You've got Michael Jordan; he wasn't a very good baseball player. There's nothing wrong with crossing over.
My favorite was always whichever sport was in season. I think these days it's almost saddening to see kids who are 10 or 11 and are forced to choose one sport and specialize in that sport and play that sport year-round. By playing different sports... you become a better all-around athlete.
I happened to be in a position in Superior where I could play three sports, and when I came to Minnesota, I had the understanding they would allow me to play three sports. Kids now don't have the same amount of time. You have coaches that think baseball is 10 months a year. Hockey is 11 or 12 months a year.
My dad was always at work running a business, so our mom really took care of us. She'd bring us all to our practices, and we all basically played four sports: baseball, hockey, football, and basketball.
Some athletes can master two sports, but most are only good at one.
I'm really troubled by the prevalence of single-sport specializations. I want my kids to do as many things for as long as they can. Specialization is a natural thing that should come later - it shouldn't come for 8-year-olds.
It takes a tremendous amount of skill to be a football player. And some of these guys have enough skills to do other sports. Soccer could be one. Basketball could be another. Things where you need incredible hand-eye coordination are always options. I think a football player would be able to adapt to a lot of sports.
For athletes, it is unhealthy to be one-sport focused, especially at a young age. I believe in exposing kids to lots of activities - there are great advantages to being a well-rounded athlete and human, no matter the field of play.
Deion Sanders played two sports, and Bo Jackson played two sports. I'm not athletic enough to do two sports, but I think I'm good enough to do two professions and do them pretty well at a high level.
Athletes today get into a single-minded, one sport routine. I can't stand it.
Most people doing the decathlon these days are quite boring, so people don't relate to them.
