Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Dr. Gregory Long

Publication Date

Spring 5-30-2022

Scholarship Domain(s)

Scholarship of Discovery

Abstract

Sport specialization is defined as intense year-round training in a single sport while excluding other sports. Previous studies have suggested a relationship between increased levels of sport specialization and injury risk, though other studies have contradicted this hypothesis. Previous literature has also suggested that sport specialization levels increase dramatically throughout high school, though this has not been investigated in post-high school athletes. This study aimed to investigate the possible relationship between sport specialization and injury risk, as well as how sport specialization levels change throughout college by distributing a questionnaire online to 251 undergraduate NAIA athletes. Participants were assessed according to their levels of specialization using a 3-point scale. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and correlational tests, showing a significant increase in specialization, though there were not enough unspecialized athletes to investigate a relationship between sport specialization and injury risk. While it is difficult to draw conclusions regarding a relationship between sport specialization and injury risk, the increase in specialization shows the need for further research into both sport specialization and injury risk, as well as research into NAIA athletes specifically.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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