title: AOSSM Early Sport Specialization Consensus Statement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early sport specialization is not a requirement for success at the highest levels of competition and is believed to be unhealthy physically and mentally for young athletes. It also discourages unstructured free play, which has many benefits.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review the available evidence on early sports specialization and identify areas where scientific data are lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Think tank, roundtable discussion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The primary outcome of this think tank was that there is no evidence that young children will benefit from early sport specialization in the majority of sports. They are subject to overuse injury and burnout from concentrated activity. Early multisport participation will not deter young athletes from long-term competitive athletic success.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Youth advocates, parents, clinicians, and coaches need to work together with the sport governing bodies to ensure healthy environments for play and competition that do not create long-term health issues yet support athletic competition at the highest level desired.
authors.affiliation: Chief Medical Officer, The Steadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: LaPrade
authors.affiliation: Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agel
authors.affiliation: Professor and Director, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University Centre of Aging Research and Education, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Medical Director, Sports Medicine Program, Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.; Director, Division of Sports Medicine and Adolescent Medicine, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Joel S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.affiliation: Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, New York, USA.; Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service; Co-medical Director, Leon Root Motion Analysis Laboratory, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Frank A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Cordasco
authors.affiliation: Professor and Director, School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Côté
authors.affiliation: Medical & Scientific Department, International Olympic Committee, Lausanne, Switzerland.; Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway.; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Engebretsen
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor-in-Residence and Fellowship Director, Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Brian T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Feeley
authors.affiliation: Professor and Director, Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, College of Education/Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.affiliation: NCAA Chief Medical Officer and Clinical Professor of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.; New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hainline
authors.affiliation: Consultant, Orthopaedic Surgery; Director, Biomechanics, Sports Medicine Research; Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Physiology & Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hewett
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Orthopedics and Family Medicine; Director, Tennis Medicine; Associate Director, Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship, Emory Sports Medicine Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Neeru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jayanthi
authors.affiliation: Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Associate Director, Division of Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Mininder S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kocher
authors.affiliation: Director, Research and The Human Performance Laboratory, Division of Sports Medicine I, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.; Department of Pediatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.; The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.; Department of Orthopaedics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Myer
authors.affiliation: Elite Sports Medicine, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.; Professor, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA.; Team Physician, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
authors.forename: Carl W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Nissen
authors.affiliation: Managing Partner, Steadman Clinic, Vail, Colorado, USA.; Co-chairman, Steadman Philippon Research Institute, Vail, Colorado, USA.; Fellowship co-Director, Steadman Philippon Research Institute, Sports Medicine Program, Vail, Colorado, USA.; Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Marc J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Philippon
authors.affiliation: Chief of Sports Medicine and Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Head Team Physician and Medical Director, New England Patriots, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Professor of Surgery, Uniformed Services, University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.; Visiting Professor, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Provencher
keywords: consensus; early sports specialization; youth sports