Ginsburg said sport specialization can lead to burnout, overuse injury and fragmentation of friendships. Conversely, participating in multiple sports also helps children develop muscularly, in what four-time U.S. women's national team player Danielle Gallagher, the founder and president of the Long Island Liberty lacrosse club, called "a cross-training theory."
Fried added sport specialization leads to a general lack of "being a kid... Creativity starts to fade away."
4. How to be a good consumer of your child's lacrosse experience
Determining the appropriate level for engagement in your child's experience is tricky, and it's often age-dependent. But at any level, it's important for parents to be good consumers. The best way to do so: Ask respectful but pointed questions — of your child, of programs and teams you're considering, and of objective third parties. Related, do your homework and research as much as possible. Don't sit back and wait to learn these things after the fact; actively seek out information.
"This is going to sound really stupid simple," Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse coach Janine Tucker said.
"It truly is about communicating with your child."
How well do you know your son or daughter? What is your child capable of athletically? When are they happiest? What's most important to
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Men's Lacrosse
* High school men's lacrosse players: 162,416
* Division I programs: 61
* NCAA-mandated maximum number of scholarships per program (over four years): 12.6
*Average scholarships per program per year: 3.15
* Average players per recruiting class: 12
* Average estimated scholarship: 26 percent
*Fully-funded programs: 31
*Total scholarships available: 400
*Players receiving some scholarship over four years: 1,450
*Odds of any high school male landing any Division I scholarship: 0.89 percent
Women's Lacrosse
*High school women's lacrosse players: 112,865
*Division I programs: 92
*NCAA-mandated maximum number of scholarships per program (over four years): 12
*Average scholarships per program per year: 3
*Average players per recruiting class: 9
*Average estimated scholarship: 33 percent
*Fully funded programs: 50
*Total scholarships available: 780
*Players receiving some scholarship over four years: 2,363
*Odds of any high school female landing any Division I scholarship: 2.1 percent
Sources: NCAA, US Lacrosse data from 2011-12 and estimated projections based on Lacrosse Magazine research