Although it’s not one of the world’s most commonplace of occurrences, multi-sport athletes continue to thrive. Each year, the crop of young persons with an inherent capacity to train, compete, and excel in more than one sport yields many surprises. As it turns out, it’s not always as easy as it looks to predict in which sport these exceptional individuals will become superstars. Take Spain’s Rafael Nadal, for instance. Nadal is currently ranking as the world’s number two tennis player, right behind Novak Djokovic, and above long-time rival Roger Federer.

Although the champion tennis player is not known to have ever sported any Majorcan basketball uniforms, he is known to have been a brilliant soccer player with good prospects for a professional career in the sport; however, he decided to commit exclusively to tennis.

Another world-class athlete, who at one point had to have known more than a thing or two about the distinctive features of football, baseball, and probably even softball uniforms, is the American quarterback Tom Brady. This current Patriot, who hails from the Bay Area’s town of San Mateo, was even a Major League Baseball draftee in 1995. That year, Brady was an 18th round catcher pick of the Montreal Expos. Not a minor feat at all.

Of course, there’s another multi-sport pro quarterback with celebrity links. (Tom Brady is married to supermodel Gisele Bündchen.) That would be Jessica Simpson’s one-time big love, Tony Romo — he, like Brady, also hails from the Golden State. Now, Tony Romo may or may not have known the design of his high school’s track uniforms, but as a youthling he was invited to participate in the Little League All-Star team. In actual fact, while in high school, he played on both the varsity football and basketball teams.
Some people are true all-star athletes from a young age.

If you’re a coach and are looking to motivate your players, remember that there’s usually no single thing that encourages players to give it their all. However, the details, like really digging their baseball jerseys or hearing an inspired pep talk before going out on the field adds up to a lot at the end of the day. So carry on honing your rhetorical flourishes — you may need them one day to help an exceptional athlete decide between two or more beloved sports.

Sam Walters is a writer living in Los Angeles. Her writing appears in print and online.