This post
involves a topic that is currently relevant in the American sports’ system.
Youth today are becoming increasingly specialized in their athletic endeavors.
Parents and coaches have pushed for kids to avoid participating in multiple
sports in order to specialize and excel in one sport. Parents and coaches
believe that this focus will increase the potential for kids to become talented
enough to play at a professional level. The emergence of sports league out of
their typical seasons, such as AAU basketball, has intensified this pattern. This
trend has become increasingly prevalent and it has become rare for an athlete
to be truly gifted at multiple sports at the collegiate level. This situation
has not always been the case. In the past, American athletes strove to be great
at more than one sport (i.e. the football and baseball careers of Bo Jackson).
This goal was exemplified by the players of the Dayton Gems in the 1960s. From
1964-1980, Dayton had its own hockey team known as the Dayton Gems. On May 30,
1965, a local Dayton newspaper wrote an article about the some of the athletic
exploits of some the Gem hockey players. During the summer, three players (Guy
Trottier, Rich Brown, and Pat Donnelly) were out of the hockey season. They all
worked construction during the summer to bolster their annual income. Although
they needed to keep up their hockey skills and needed to be physically prepared
for the upcoming season, they participated in other sports. These three played
on the Kelchner Excavating in a softball league. Trottier, in particular, began
to excel in the sport. During the previous hockey season, he was voted the most
popular player. As a softball player, he developed a “terrific arm” and became
quite talented in the sport. Pat Donnelly was raised in New Jersey on
basketball and football and had to make a transition to softball. These hockey
players, although dedicated to their sport, made time to participate in other
sports and didn’t see this participation as something in conflict with their
loyalty to the Gems. Athletes today should not be limited by their parents or
coaches and should be allowed to enjoy a variety of sports.
Dayton GEMS Records. MS-107. Wright State University Special
Collections and Archives: Dayton, OH.
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