“Early positive experiences of sport develop healthy, confident individuals.” – Margaret Talbot
I was reminded of Margaret Talbot’s words recently while reading Mina Samuels’ book Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives. It’s a fascinating collection of stories about girls and women whose lives have been transformed by sport.
Samuels describes how, after discovering running, her self-confidence grew with every achievement, from setting personal bests and winning a small local race to surviving injuries and marathons that went wrong. She found a capacity in herself she never knew she had. She came to see herself as someone with more potential and bigger possibilities, able to push herself and take risks, not just in sport but in life. As she puts it, the competition “was not with someone else, it was with myself.”
Her experience highlights one of the most important areas of youth sport research: the role sport can play in developing self-esteem.
What is self-esteem?
There are many theories, but most describe self-esteem as how positively a person feels about themselves. It tends to grow when we succeed, are praised or feel loved, and to fall with failure, harsh criticism and rejection.
It matters to anyone interested in education, health and sport because it’s linked with emotional wellbeing, health behaviours (such as drug-taking and early or unprotected sex), the ability to cope with life’s challenges, and overall mental health and happiness.
How sport helps
It’s widely believed that developing skill in sport builds a sense of personal effectiveness and independence, both of which support self-esteem.
Unsurprisingly, research shows physical activity is particularly powerful in strengthening physical self-worth, meaning how we feel about our bodies and physical abilities. The link with general self-esteem is more complex. But there’s little doubt that feeling good about yourself physically is an important foundation for feeling good about yourself overall, especially in childhood and early adolescence.
A number of studies support this:
- Canadian researchers found that more physically active 11 to 12-year-olds had considerably higher self-esteem. A second Canadian study confirmed this and also highlighted the potentially harmful role of obesity.
- A Swiss study found that adolescents who belonged to sports clubs had greater wellbeing. They were better adjusted socially, less anxious and generally happier with their lives.
- A study of Latino students in the US found that taking part in school sport was significantly linked with self-esteem.
The power of belonging
Much of sport’s power lies in its social setting. There’s a large body of research showing how important social connection is for healthy development, and sport offers a popular, engaging place for children to connect.
Playing team sports is linked with social acceptance and a sense of belonging, especially when it involves positive coaching, steady skill development and support from peers.
A note of caution
But sport can exclude as well as include.
There is strong evidence that boys and girls can experience sport very differently, and this affects how much it supports their self-esteem. Acceptance by peers seems to be a key factor, and girls can be particularly vulnerable to negative judgements. Competitive sport can make these difficulties worse, and studies suggest that children who don’t fit traditional sporting stereotypes often benefit most from non-competitive activities.
So we shouldn’t assume sport is a cure-all. Research on the psychological benefits of youth sport consistently stresses that the experience must be positive. It will surprise no one that bullying, exclusion or abuse harm rather than help children’s self-esteem and wellbeing. Sadly, it’s also no shock that many children’s first experiences of sport are far from life-enhancing.
Why the early years matter most
The psychologist Erik Erikson described the years from about six to eleven as the stage when children develop a sense of competence, or, if things go badly, of inferiority. Importantly, this is also when most children are introduced to sport.
It’s impossible to overstate the importance of positive early sporting experiences, both for self-esteem and for staying active for life. Teachers, coaches and parents have a responsibility to make sure these experiences “catch” as many children as possible. To do that, they need to remember three fundamental principles of child development:
- Children are not mini-adults.
- Children are not mini-adults.
- Children are not mini-adults.
Problems arise when adults forget this and convince themselves they’re coaching future Olympians or Premier League stars. Ironically, the evidence suggests talented children are most likely to emerge when they’re given time to develop, to play and to remain children.
Children are not miniature adults, and their enjoyment of sport, and their self-esteem, can suffer when well-meaning adults forget it.
