A recent poll taken of the U.S. women's world cup champions shows exactly why sports specialization is not necessary to achieve greatness. Key players on the 2015 women’s world cup roster explained they were multiple-sport athletes growing up. This includes Abby Wambach, arguably the best U.S. women's player in the history of U.S. national soccer. 

Other players such as back-up central defender Whitney Engen explained that she played many sports growing up and does not agree with Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-hour theory. She explains that sports are more complex than dedicating 10,000 hours to a specific sport. Playing different sports gives young athletes unique skills that they cannot learn from playing one sport year-round. Wambach shares Engen's feeling, explaining that by taking time off from playing soccer, she was able to realize how much she enjoys soccer. Taking time to play basketball in the offseason allowed her to come back to soccer fresh (Rogers 2015).