Future College Athlete and The Rise Of Perfectionism: Future Trend 3—Sports Specialization Fuels Perfectionism
By Michael Cerreto
Perfectionism is on the rise. If the trend continues for the next ten years, it may profoundly impact the personalities and mental health of athletes who enter college in the 2030s. The following is the third of a seven-part series about how the rise of perfectionism can impact future college athletes. Let’s look at Future Trend 3.
“I played a lot of different sports growing up, and I think that’s something that’s missing today. It’s important to develop a wide range of skills and have different experiences.”
Future Trend 3: Sports Specialization Will Fuel Perfectionism And Cause Developmental Challenges
If someone is good at sports, they usually focus on one sport when they are young and keep at it for 8-14 years before going to college. Recent research suggests that up to 30% of youth athletes in the USA specialize in a single sport at the average ages of 12 to 14. This percentage means up to 20 million young athletes may be highly specialized (Kliethermes et al., 2021). The prevalence rates of sport specialization among youth athletes range from 17% to 41% (Iona et al., 2022). The trend is partially driven by the potential economic benefit of success in sports (e.g., college scholarships, elite achievement, or high professional sports salaries) (Mosher et al., 2022; Kliethermes et al., 2021).
These young athletes have a team of adults helping them develop to perfection - their parents, coaches from school and club teams, and specialized coaches for strength and conditioning, speed, and sports technique. They also have nutritionists, physical therapists, massage therapists, sports medicine doctors, mental coaches, and athletic trainers supporting them along the way.
These grown-ups teach young athletes to dig deep into the nitty-gritty of their sport in the never-ending pursuit of flawlessness. Athletes learn that being perfect is the key to gaining the attention and approval of adults from a very young age, and it carries over to college.
As sports specialization and perfectionism rise over the next ten years, college athletes in the 2030s might face the following development challenges;
Risk Of Burnout: One future problem will be an increased risk of burnout. With more and more athletes striving for perfection, the downside, like overtraining, loss of motivation, and stress, may become more common. These challenges can lead to burnout, which is never good (Negative Effects of Youth Sports on Mental Health, 2022).
Sports Injuries and Psychological Consequences: Future college athletes may experience increased overuse injuries. These injuries may make them moody, frustrated, less confident, and less motivated to keep playing (Negative Effects of Youth Sports on Mental Health, 2022).
Social Development Problems: After many years of not being able to hang out with their non-sport friends, athletes transitioning to college could exhibit underdeveloped social skills that are important in life. This lack of social skills may make them overly reliant on their parents and coaches and uneasy navigating the world outside of sports (Negative Effects of Youth Sports on Mental Health, 2022).
This early specialization can lead to an increase in unhealthy perfectionism in college. This narrow perfectionism can lead to more significant anxiety, self-criticism about mistakes, and burnout (Academy, 2022). Future college athletes may also need help keeping their sport in a broader life perspective so it doesn't hinder their ability to cope with mistakes and failure.
References
Kliethermes SA, Marshall SW, LaBella CR, et al. Defining a research agenda for youth sport specialisation in the USA: the AMSSM Youth Early Sport Specialization Summit, British Journal of Sports Medicine 2021;55:135-143.
Iona, T., Raimo, S., Coco, D., Tortella, P., Masala, D., Ammendolia, A., ... & La Torre, G. (2022). Specialization and injury risk in different youth sports: a bio-emotional social approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 818739.
Mosher, A., Till, K., Fraser-Thomas, J., & Baker, J. (2022). Revisiting early sport specialization: what's the problem? Sports Health, 14(1), 13-19.
Negative Effects of Youth Sports on Mental Health. (2022, October 20). Kindbridge Behavioral Health. https://kindbridge.com/mental-health/negative-effects-of-youth-sports-on-mental-health
Academy, U. S. S. (2022, October 21). Division-1 athletes' perceptions of sport specialization as a predictor of perfectionism. The Sport Journal. https://thesportjournal.org/article/division-1-athletes-perceptions-of-sport-specialization-as-a-predictor-of-perfectionism
