Who Counts as a Multisport Athlete and Why Does it Matter? Impacts of Past Sport and Physical Activity Participation on Identifying as an Athlete

The dangers of early sport specialization are well established in the literature. Yet the alternative to specialization, a multisport experience, known as diversification, where youth “sample” a variety of activities to gain myriad sport skills and experiences, is far less studied. In partnership with Sport for Life Canada, this study investigated if young adults and adults who did not have multisport experiences prior to age 12 have the confidence, physical competence, and knowledge to continue to participate in sports and physical activities throughout their lives. Following the completion of a purpose designed questionnaire (n=251), Canadian residents aged 18-60 were invited to participate in a follow-up interview. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 45 participants to gain more insight into their personal sport and physical activity histories and physical literacy journeys. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and reviewed to conduct a thematic analysis of participants’ experiences. In clarifying what ‘multisport’ means in practical terms for participants in different stages of Sport for Life’s (2019) Long Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity framework, profound differences emerged in people’s understanding of which physical activities should be considered sports as well as who can and who should be considered a multisport athlete. Results of this study suggest that everyday people’s understanding of multisport and diversification differs from how these terms are used in the research literature, and that some of our assumptions about the long-term benefits of sampling and diversification can be gained from non-sport based physical activity and outdoor recreation.