Chris Burke Baseball Academy

Play ‘em All

I was blessed to play the game of baseball for a long time.  From the age of 4 to 30 I competed nearly every day with the goal of becoming the best player that I could be.  Along that journey I also found other sports that I love to compete at.  Basketball and football were the other two sports I played growing up competitively.  Participating in these sports gave me a tremendous advantage once I got to College and decided to solely focus on baseball.  The game of basketball taught me about physical fitness, endurance, and hustle.  Football taught me about teamwork, physical toughness, and the importance of weight training.  Without the lessons that I learned playing these other sports I would never have been able to accomplish what I did in the game of baseball.  One of the things that saddens me about our culture today is too often kids are being forced into focusing on one sport at such an early age.  The pressure of high level travel teams, the urging of overzealous high school coaches, and the expectations of some parents has all but eliminated the multi-sport athlete from today’s youngsters.  The problem is that kids are missing out on so many experiences, so many life lessons, and so many great coaches that could have long lasting influence on these athletes if they were encouraged to play other sports. 

In my time in the Major Leagues some of the best conversations I had with teammates were about stories from other sports.  Guys loved to sit around and tell old glory day stories from high school football or basketball.  Guys would talk about golf, soccer, track and field. We would talk about buzzer beaters, halftime speeches, crazy teammates, hardnosed coaches and do so with fondness and thankfulness that the scope of our athletic memories is not limited to just baseball. 

Without question the number one off season sport played by baseball players is golf.  I recently wrote an article for Inside Pitch the Magazine detailing the similarities between the golf and baseball swing. The purpose of the article is to not only point out the obvious consistencies in the two swings but we also hope to remove the stigma that surrounds the myth that one swing “messes up” the other.  I started playing golf at the age of 13.  While I never played it competitively, I did spend countless hours throughout my entire career, both amateur and professional, trying to improve my game.  This work NEVER interfered with the results I had on the baseball field.  Today, when I hear Dads tell me they don’t let their sons play golf because it could harm their baseball swing I get very upset.  The reality is that for most of us the game of golf is more about the quality time we get to spend with family and friends than it is about our scores.  I am thankful that I had a Dad that understood that and introduced me to a game that has been such a joy in my life.  The memories I have made, the conversations I have had, and the relationships I have fostered on the golf course are very dear to me.  What a shame it would have been if my dad would have banned me from playing for fear that it would hinder my baseball swing.

My hope is that we can get past this idea that other sports are detrimental to kid’s development in their main sport.  I hope that parents, coaches and athletes realize that playing another sport isn’t hurting you it’s actually making a more well-rounded competitor and person.  I am so blessed to have the memories from the other sports that I have played in my life.  The coaches, teammates, and lessons that I experienced are some of my fondest moments.  Let’s get back to encouraging kids to play ‘em all like we used to say!