Sports Lift Esteem in Young Athletes

The payoff of playing Little League baseball doesn't only come in the form of stronger biceps and better hand-eye coordination. Research shows that participation in organized sports also boosts self-esteem and motivation among child athletes.

Not only that, research shows a link between participating in sports and higher grades, as well as better behavior, both in school and out.
Sports can help teach children life skills such as how to communicate, commit and collaborate, if the coaches and parents are supportive. The life skills must be reinforced, however, so that they transfer to other settings.

Structuring the team setting so children learn skills and helping them use those skills off the field as well also will increase their confidence.

Thanks to Maureen Weiss, PhD, and her colleagues at the University of Oregon; Ronald M. Jeziorski, EdD, an educational psychologist who consults for co-curricular programs in Santa Clara, Calif.; and Tara Scanlan, PhD, a researcher in sport psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA).

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