They reason that if players give all their attention to a sport 12 months a year, they will be better off than if they only practice during the season. Finally, coaches may encourage specific players to specialize, hoping that those players will achieve the level of proficiency to attract scholarship offers and bring recognition to both the program and the coach. Third, parents may encourage early specialization to push their children to excel. Some of this push from parents may be in response to the demands of sports which have early peak years, such as women's gymnastics. Finally, both the attention of the media on elite athletes and the lavish salaries of professional athletes have reinforced the attractiveness of early specialization.
Critics question whether specialization is the best option for most high school athletes.
The side effects can touch not only athletes, but coaches and whole athletic programs. For example, specialization can increase in-fighting among coaches for the best athletes in the school and reduce the talent pool of athletes for all sports. By specializing in one sport, athletes drop another from which they may receive more enjoyment and success over the long run, and they miss out on valuable contacts with coaches of other sports. During the course of a season, these coaches may introduce transferable physical and conceptual skills which could enhance athletes' performance in their primary sports. In addition, those coaches often serve as important role models for students developing personal value systems.