Let's Play 2 (or 3, or 4)
February 16, 2012
A few conversations I had at last week's Women In Sports Leadership conference further affirmed a point I've been making for years -- high school athletes, if they'd like, shouldn't hesitate to play multiple sports.
Doing so does not hurt, but might just help their chances at landing that prized college scholarship -- on top of adding another layer to the high school sports experience.
Reaffirming this for me last week was Michigan State softball coach Jacquie Joseph, who spoke on that subject at the WISL conference. She's heading into her 24th season as a head coach at the Division I college level -- so she's been around for some of the evolution of both high school sports specialization and college recruiting. Plus, she coaches a sport that sees its share of athletes playing just that one.
Later, I spoke with a high school coach who leads teams in three sports and also played one at the Division I college level. She's a believer in this as well.
Some of the things I've been told over the years about playing more than one sport:
- It allows an athlete to learn more skills and hone more parts of his or her athleticism.
- Using another range of movement further helps condition an athlete's body and make it more resistant to injury.
- It's hardly rare to see a college football coach watching a prospect's basketball game -- coaches like to see how athleticism transfers across sports, and sometimes will see something from an athlete playing basketball that he didn't show on the football field. (Football and basketball are used in this example, but the same applies to a number of similar situations.)
- Athletes get an opportunity to play whatever they'd like only this once (unless they turn out to be that rare college athlete who takes on more than one sport at that level).
These are hardly new arguments. But they are always worth repeating -- especially when the people frequently making them (college coaches) are the ones single-sport athletes often are trying to impress.
This Week in High School Sports: 3/12/26
By
Jon Ross
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
March 12, 2026
This week's edition recaps the Individual Wrestling and Competitive Cheer Finals, presents Game Balls to standouts in gymnastics and newly-announced NFHS Hall of Fame selection Alisha Glass Childress from Leland; and closes with a recap of Jackson cross country coach Nathan Martin's comeback win at the Los Angeles Marathon.
The 5-minute program each week includes feature stories from MHSAA.com or network affiliates, along with "Be the Referee," a 60-second look at the fine art of officiating.
"This Week in High School Sports" is powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP).
Listen to this week's show by Clicking Here.
Previous 2025-26 editions
March 5: Team Wrestling Finals review, Mio basketball's Mia McGregor - Listen
Feb. 26: Upper Peninsula Swimming & Diving Finals review, Brian Gordon Receives Hampton Award - Listen
Feb. 19: Boyne City's Exemplary Program Award, MHSAA Basketball Tournament Schedules - Listen
Feb. 12: MHSAA connections to this year's Winter Olympics & Super Bowl - Listen
Feb. 5: MHSAA personal branding activities rule, Bear Lake's Harless twins - Listen
Jan. 29: Women in Sports Leadership Conference, WISL Award winner Anika McEvans - Listen
Jan. 22: Multi-sport participation, MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Awards - Listen
Jan. 15: Genesee's Averie Zinn & Mio's Mia McGregor, MHSAA Winter Finals schedule - Listen
Jan. 8: 2024-25 MHSAA Tournament attendance, tribute to Vic Michaels - Listen
Dec. 11: MHSAA 2024-25 participation's national ranking, 2026 Wrestling Tournament - Listen
Dec. 4: 11-Player Football Finals review - Listen
Nov. 26: Girls Volleyball, 8-Player Football, Lower Peninsula Girls Swimming & Diving Finals review - Listen
Nov. 20: NFHS Network championship schedule, Sportsmanship Summits - Listen
Nov. 13: Performance of the Week, Shelby football - Listen
Nov. 6: Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals, Boys Soccer Finals review - Listen
Oct. 30: Mendon football's Owen Gorham, MHSAA Girls Volleyball Tournament primer - Listen
Oct. 23: Lower Peninsula Girls Golf Finals review, LP Boys Tennis Finals - Listen
Oct. 16: MHSAA Football Playoff selection, Field Hockey Finals week primer - Listen
Oct. 9: Upper Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals review, 2025 Sportsmanship Summits - Listen
Oct. 2: 2026 MHSAA/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Awards, Boys Soccer Tournament - Listen
Sept. 25: Saline's record-approaching performance, SAC sportsmanship statement - Listen
Sept. 18: Athletic director training, "Block Party" volleyball report - Listen
Sept. 11: Football coaching legend Al Fracassa, MHSAA Student Advisory Council - Listen
Sept. 4: MHSAA participation rising, Harbor Springs soccer's Henry Juneau - Listen
Aug. 28: Field hockey's first season, changes to Football Playoffs, Tennis Finals - Listen