Specialized behavior in sport and life

Cross Fitters puff their chests up and proudly proclaim --- "We beat the specialists at their own game " 
     "I placed 5th in a 10-k last month wearing British Knights basketball shoes !"   --   "so and so won a powerlifting meet - didn't even wear a lifting shirt  " 
  and on and on and on

I'm not badmouthing crossfit --- its just the rampant desire to NOT be a specialist at anything that I find unsettling --- but then again, my sports background involves things that require a high degree of specialization,  so I don't understand why somebody would want to be "pretty good" at many things, when that energy could be better spent on striving for excellence at just a couple of things

Lets take homebuilding as a comparison  --- crossfit would have us become "general contractors" with our bodies and workout plans --lots of different mundane tasks that require proficiency, but not excellence.
    Being a good homebuilder requires many many more skills than just being a good carpenter  -----

but lets compare the homebuilder to the guy who regularly whips out a spokeshave to put the finishing touches on a Windsor chair - whose Japanese chisel set alone costs more than many make in a month (and he keeps them in a monogrammed denim tool roll)

The homebuilder who specializes in nothing lives a good life, and most people would rate him as a "solid individual" , - he has built himself the trappings of moderate success, -- decent house, great family, ability to tithe his 10% -- etc etc etc

But the fine furniture maker who wields his spokeshave  like a samurai sword and can make a mortice/tenon joint like a champ,  -- this gentleman can live with the accolades normally reserved for royalty and rockstars --- silent applause following him everywhere he goes

Who does everybody want to party with at the end of the day?  Well that's painfully obvious.

There are degrees of specialization --

Don may be an awesome plumber and is widely regarded in the industry as "the best stool man in town "  -- but he also will never have the accolades that the guy who makes 6  hand hewn dining room tables a year gets.

Specialize in something mundane and it is almost as bad as trying to do everything at once --- sure, the world may need you and your services -- but you will never score a date with Lindsey Lohan and Kim Basinger (on the same night) like a fine woodworker does


Obviously I am taking a bit of comedic license with my comparisons, but there will be people who read this who look deep into their hearts and know that I am right ------  others will say that I am wrong and also a tad nuts

    Its because there's no true right or wrong answer - everybody has to make the decision for themselves how they want to pursue their goals and what the end product should be