Las Vegas (and Henderson) has become the biggest newest sports mecca. The Las Vegas Aces brought home the first ever sports championship to Vegas, followed by the Golden Knights and the Stanley cup in 2023. The Raiders arrived in Las Vegas in 2020. The Las Vegas Desert Dogs played their first Vegas game in 2023. Vegas also hosts NASCAR and for the first time ever, F1. Vegas has cemented itself as a sports mecca, before the MLB team, the Oakland A’s, even arrive. Beyond the franchises that call Las Vegas home, Vegas hosts many different sports in the Allegiant stadium, T Mobile arena and the Michelob center including soccer, MMA, boxing and rugby. The NRL kicked off their season in America, for the first time ever, but not only in America, in Las Vegas.
Now that Vegas is established as a sports mecca, it benefits the city in many ways from job creation, tourism, both residential and commercial real estate values, but most importantly to us at D1, opportunities for young athletes. This can come in many forms, from increased visibility, higher level athletic training, and exposure to a wide range of sports.
We discussed the value of increased visibility in earlier posts, so we will not dive into it deeply here. The main benefit of increased visibility is that young athletes are more likely to be seen by scouts. In previous articles we also discussed the benefit of higher level training in "sports towns”. The main benefit being higher levels of individual achievement stemming from competitive drive as athletes begin to perform better as a result of higher level training. We have not yet discussed the benefit of young athletes being exposed to a wide range of sports.
There are many benefits associated with young athletes being exposed to a wider range of sports including:
- Discovering and possibly excelling in a sport they would otherwise not be exposed to.
- Reducing the likelihood of burnout.
- Developing a wider athletic base as young athletes train in various sports.
Discovering and possibly excelling in a sport they would otherwise not be exposed to is a huge benefit. Although many parents know which sport and sometimes even which position they want their young child to play, it is impossible to know at a young age how the child will physically and athletically develop. Although you may want your child to play QB, they may develop better as a wide receiver, or even more as a rugby player. With the NRL launching their season in Las Vegas for the first time ever, this incredible sport is starting to gain more visibility with Americans. In fact, rugby coaches flew in from around the world to coach safe tackle techniques at D1 Henderson. Henderson athletes were exposed to high level coaching due to the NRL games at the Allegiant stadium.
Again, it may be the parents or even the child's dream to play one particular sport, developing a wider athletic base from a young age will make them a more useful athlete to the coach and team. Many professional athletes had long successful careers in positions they did not play as youth because they developed a wide enough athletic base that a coach was able to move them to a position more suited to the athlete or the team's needs.
Reducing the likelihood of burnout is a real issue we frequently see in sports. Although we see it across all sports, we see it most commonly with baseball athletes. Many parents invest years and thousands of dollars in their child's training and playing, for the child to become burnt out and give up the sport entirely, often in high school. Allowing the child to play other sports from a young age can not only help them become a better athlete, but to continue enjoying the sports they are best at. Again, many professional athletes who had successful careers changed sports in high school due to burn out.
Developing a wider athletic base as young athletes train in various sports. We touched on this already, but let's dive deeper into specifics. Training heavily for one sport, for example basketball, may focus on agility and conditioning. It may not focus on strength and power to the degree a track or wrestler might. This matters, because what is agility? According to Verwellfit.com, "Agility is the ability to move and change the direction and position of the body quickly and effectively while under control. It requires quick reflexes, coordination, balance, speed, and correct response to the changing situation." This requires the athlete to absorb and generate force quickly.
Strength is the base of the force development. Proper strength and sprinting sprint training allows for improved agility performance. If you choose to not do this intentionally in athletic training, this can be accomplished, albeit to a lesser degree, with cross training COMPLIMENTARY sports. For example, if your athlete is a baseball player, sprinting rather than cross country running helps to create a more powerful athlete which translates to baseball performance rather than catabolizing the muscles in the off season with cross country. It is generally known and accepted that wrestling and football are complementary sports. Another example of complimentary sports are basketball and sprinting.
With Las Vegas cementing its status as a sports mecca, young athletes stand at the nexus of opportunity. With a thriving sports scene, the city offers an unparalleled environment to nurture and pursue athletic dreams. There is no better place for a young athlete than right here, right now.