Sports Medicine Physician · Sports Dad · Former Athlete
More kids playing.
Longer. Healthier.
With more joy.
I’m Dr. Jeremy Alland — sports medicine physician, team doctor for the Chicago Bulls and White Sox, sports dad, and former athlete. I created Play the Long Game because the way we run youth sports is stealing the joy from the kids who play them.
The Former Athlete
D3 College Pitcher
I know what sport felt like when it was just a game. That perspective shapes everything I write.
The Sports Dad
On the Sidelines Every Week
I sit in the same bleachers you do. I feel the same pull. Knowing the research doesn’t make those decisions easier — it just makes them more intentional.
The Physician
Team Physician, Chicago Bulls & White Sox
I see the damage early specialization does firsthand, every week in my clinic. The research is clear. Most people just haven’t read it.
Dr. Jeremy Alland is a board-certified sports medicine physician at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush and team physician for the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox. He sees patients at locations in Chicago and Westchester, IL.
Short-termism is winning. Kids are losing.
Early specialization. Travel teams that consume entire families. Coaches who prioritize winning over development. Parents who, with the best intentions, are burning their kids out before high school. I see it in my clinic every week. I see it on the sidelines as a sports dad. And I know what the research says about where this road leads.
This site exists to help you play the long game, for your kids and with them.
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Jeremy Alland, MD 