What Youth Sports Should Really Teach Kids: 6 Benefits of Youth Sports, Backed by Research
“Growing up, there is zero chance I could have played club soccer,” Landon Donovan said. “My mom made $34,000 a year as a single mom raising three kids. She couldn’t pay $4,000 for me to play club soccer—are you kidding? She couldn’t pay $400.”
There is a national conversation happening right now. We know there is a problem in youth sports. We know the system is not working for our kids. We know that we want something different.
Here is the issue: we keep talking about it, but do nothing to fix it.
Furthermore, we continue to showcase coaches that steal the spotlight from our young players. We keep building reality shows around travel baseball and academies. We drift further away from the true benefits of youth sports.
As we continue to redefine youth sports by building real programs for underserved youth and providing more access to these groups, we are reminded of what youth sports should be about: serving the kid, the community, and building the next generation.
As we explore the benefits of youth sports, we will visit the core values of Academy 48 because we believe these values are the foundation for changing youth sports for the better. We also believe these are the changes we need to make before youth sports can better benefit children.
Before we start, most of the benefits of youth sports have been listed in this PDF; our goal is to categorize them into real reasons for further discussion about youth sports and why we desperately need to change the current system. Click here to see them all.
Purpose – Sports Are an Extension of The Classroom
We believe sports are an extension of the classroom, teaching student life lessons.
There is something very powerful about learning through doing, learning through failure, learning in a way no worksheet could ever teach. According to research from the President’s Council, students who are involved in sports benefit from improved life skills.
- Improved life skills such as goal setting, time management, work ethic, and negotiation.
- An increased personal responsibility, self-control, and empowerment.
- We see more determination, perseverance, grit, resilience, and critical thinking.
- More discipline and dedication (80% of parents credit sport for this).
- Better decision-making under pressure.
- Ability to handle failure, setbacks, and bouncing back (fail-forward)
- Sense of delayed gratification and long-term thinking
- Increased accountability to a standard beyond yourself
We know that sports teach us how to fail forward, bounce back from uncertainty, and show up when we are not feeling 100%. We also know that sports are one of the only ways to learn how to work hard and delay gratification so we can achieve a long-term goal.
Access – Every Kid Deserves an Opportunity
“We believe every kid deserves the chance to learn and play. My mother had me when she was 16. My father had to go out into the street and find a way to bring food home. That is real pressure. I just play football.” – Lamine Yamal
The 2026 World Cup introduced the world to an 18-year-old up-and-coming soccer legend. His story is of success rising from poverty, something that would never happen in American Youth Soccer.
The benefits of youth sports are too valuable to allow only certain kids in certain ZIP codes to play. Our belief is that every kid deserves an opportunity because sports are a way to learn the life lessons they will need later in life.
Why would we take this valuable teacher away from so many?
- A shared national vision: opportunity regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, ability, or ZIP code
- Life-skill development for socially vulnerable and low-income youth
- Benefits for traumatized and disadvantaged youth
- Improved well-being for youth with physical or intellectual disabilities
- Adapted-sport gains in quality of life for athletes with disabilities
- Early access builds lifelong participation (73% of adult players started young)
- A pathway that doesn’t depend on family income
- Belonging for kids who don’t fit elsewhere
Access is not a nice-to-have; it is not something that kids should have. Access is a requirement for success later in life, and we need to ensure that all kids have the opportunity to play sports.
Culture – We believe kids rise to the environment built around them.
We believe kids rise to the environment built around them.
They say you are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. That is why the culture and environment kids grow up in are so important. Success is built in a culture with the right coaches, the right teammates, the right standards, a sense of safety, and a willingness to fail. That environment helps young athletes become successful later in life.
Most research shows that participation helps with mental health (in the right culture), leading to better outcomes in the future.
- Lower rates of anxiety and depression
- Lower stress levels
- Higher self-esteem and confidence
- Reduced risk of suicide
- Less substance abuse and fewer risky behaviors
- Increased life satisfaction
- Long-term mental health protection, even after adverse childhood experiences
- Greater enjoyment of all physical activity
- A safe, structured place to be after school
- Positive adult mentorship and role models
Here is the bottom line. Sports provide kids with structure, positivity, and a sense of self-worth. We need to create cultures with the right coaches and role models to ensure an intentional environment for success.
Growth – We believe sports build the best version of every kid.
We believe sports build the best version of every kid.
Growth is an obvious benefit of youth sports because physical activity is important. But it is bigger than that. It is not about becoming faster, stronger, or more athletic. Playing sports is related to better bone health, a stronger cardiovascular system, and executive function.
Studies show that kids who play sports are more likely to continue exercising and staying fit into adulthood.
- Improved bone health, weight status, cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness
- Reduced risk of cancer and diabetes
- Increased physical activity levels and cardiovascular fitness
- Increased cognitive performance and executive function
- Increased creativity
- Higher academic achievement
- More likely to attend and graduate from a four-year college
- 8x more likely to still be physically active at age 24
- Lifelong habit of health and movement
- Improved quality of life
Most parents put their kids in sports because they want them to exercise. The reality is that it is about more than that; kids are becoming sharper and improving their brain function. Youth sports build a foundation for a healthy adult life.
Equal – We believe every son and daughter deserves the same game.
We believe every son and every daughter deserves the same game.
“We are not going to pay this much for girls’ sports. If it were for a boy, we would make that investment.” – a parent at the end of a club soccer tryout.
There is a real issue out there. Girls’ sports are not seen as equal. We are not talking about pay here; we are talking about options and availability for young girls to play. Considering that a 2023 Deloitte survey found that 70% of women who earn $100,000 or more per year and hold leadership roles played competitive sports, we must ensure that girls have equal opportunities.
- Decreased body fat percentage specifically measured for girls.
- Girls’ health and well-being tied directly to sport participation.
- Higher educational attainment for girls who play sports
- Confidence and leadership that carry into careers
- Lower rates of teen risk behaviors among girls who play
- A daughter’s development treated as an investment, not an option
It’s as simple as this. Girls who play become women who lead. We need to stop looking at women’s sports as an expense because it is an investment in the players’ future. The return on investment is worth it; in fact, it is mandatory.
Together, champions are not built alone.
We believe champions are raised by communities, not by individuals.
“None of us are as good as all of us.” – Coach Steve.
Humans need community. Humans need to be around people. Very few people—maybe you can count them on one hand—have become the best version of themselves alone. Youth sports are where kids learn to depend on each other, work together, and get creative to build solutions to problems.
- Improved teamwork, social skills, and social responsibility
Learning to get along with others (80% of parents) - Empathy and cooperation
- Stronger long-term labor market and workforce readiness
- Up to $28 billion/year in reduced health care costs, community-wide
- Benefits extend beyond the player to families and communities.
- Friendships and social belonging
- Shared identity and a sense of place
I believe that a good team will beat a star player every time. They work together, they learn from each other, and they hold each other accountable; the list goes on. Youth sports don’t just build skills; they build friendships and bonds that will last a lifetime.
The True Benefits of Youth Sports: Youth Sports are Bigger than the Scoreboard
We know there is value in youth sports. We know there are benefits to the players. We know youth sports help set players up for success in the future.
This is why the conversation about youth sports continues and will continue until there is a solid solution. So, stop talking about it; let’s start doing something about it because if we don’t, we will lose youth sports.
