An analysis of single-sport specialization of student athletes in grades 9--12 at Faith Academy in Mobile, Alabama

The purpose of this study was to analyze single sport specialization of student-athletes in grades nine through twelve at Faith Academy in Mobile, Alabama during the 2002–03 school year.; Subjects who received questionnaires for this study consisted of two hundred two students who were on the Alabama Independent School Association's eligibility list for Faith Academy for the 2002–03 school year. A total of 157 questionnaires were returned from the 202 given to the head coaches of Faith Academy athletic teams. Of the 157 returned, 46 had to be discarded due to incorrect completion.; Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 11.0 Windows Statistical package. Descriptive statistics, frequencies, means, percentages, an independent t-test, chi squares, and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis.; The results of the statistical analyses were as follows: there was no statistical significant difference between gender regarding student-athlete responses to agree or disagree with athletes who choose to single sport specialize. A chi square analysis revealed a statistical significance (p < .05) for females regarding whether parents put too much emphasis on single sport specialization. Further chi square analysis revealed that statistical significance (p < .05) existed for males regarding too much parental emphasis on single sport specialization and coach emphasis on single sport specialization. Two one-way ANOVA tests were conducted; the first revealed significant differences (p < .05) existed when comparing non-specialized student-athlete responses between the top three rankings.; The second test revealed significant differences among grade levels when comparing specialized athletes' responses.; The question of single sport specialization is a controversial one, and the results of the study revealed that there are statistical differences for the reasons students chose to single sport specialize at Faith Academy during the 2002–03 school year.