The WNBA is on fire with superstars such as Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Paige Bueckers earning as much notice in the public eye as their male counterparts – actually oftentimes more. Put those three ladies into a crowded shopping mall next to any three major league baseball players, and it could be argued that their line for autographs would probably be longer.
However, in a league of emerging household names, there is only one “Spectacle.” If you are a SportsCenter junky, you already know that on almost every night during the WNBA season you will see a highlight featuring the flair of Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles. Miles, who was the only rookie in this year’s WNBA all-star game, will be seen throwing picture perfect no-look passes through her legs or behind her back — or breaking ankles with a crossover dribble move that would make Allen Iverson blush – or driving to the hoop to make a statue of liberty finger roll layup that is pure ice (look up that reference) – or, or, or…every night it’s something new.
Fans of the Lynx have taken to calling Miles, “The Spectacle.” The nickname is both a nod to her crazy cool afro and the vision-correcting goggles she plays in — and the flash and flair of her game. Miles’s game exudes joy and authenticity, so it is not a surprise that her path to the pinnacle of women’s basketball started in high school with a unique approach to playing sports.
In an era of specialized play, when young athletes are told by their club coaches that they have to choose one sport and play it all year round, Miles took a different path. In high school, Miles played basketball and soccer. During soccer season, Miles stopped playing basketball for a few months (other than a once-a-week pickup game) and fully concentrated her time on the soccer pitch. The results showed. Miles scored 17 goals in her senior season and was clearly a two-sport star.
Miles had a simple approach. She loved basketball, and she loved soccer, so she played both. In an ESPN article about Miles, written when she was a high school senior, she explained, “I love it, but it’s so helpful in so many different ways. Not even soccer. You could do lacrosse, field hockey, anything you want. It just helps you a lot in the grand scheme of basketball and your health, mental health, physical health, everything.”
Allowing herself to play two sports gave Miles the opportunity to continue with soccer, which she loved, and it kept things fresh in the other sport she loved, basketball. How many young athletes start really loving a sport, but after years of daily practices, games, tournaments, travel, they eventually burn out? Quint Clarke, Miles’s basketball coach at Blair Academy High School, stated, “I think for someone like Olivia, if she played basketball year-round, it would just wear her out. I think getting that break and being excited to get [to] the gym and excited to play again, and all that is really helpful.”
Miles’s intuitive decision to play two sports and avoid burnout is backed by science. In a report by the nation’s leading group of pediatric doctors, burnout was cited as a key factor for kids who decided to quit sports. The report by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 70% of kids drop out of organized youth sports by age 13. The report stated that, “Two studies showed that athletes who specialized early were more likely to cease participation because of burnout.”
Leaning into the joy of playing is what has made Miles such a fan favorite. Her joy is contagious, and it is something that should not be taken for granted. Youth sports leaders need to take a long, hard look at the current system and ask themselves if joy is a big part of the equation when kids play sports. If it is not, then something needs to be changed.
Miles is proof that you can play two sports as a student-athlete and still make it to the highest levels of the game. Her story shows that one sport can help the other and that focusing on fun avoids burnout, which has derailed so many young careers.
