benefits of sports

In a powerful SmartTeams Talk, the NCAA's Chief Medical Officer discusses two major NCAA-funded research studies on sport-related concussions and its efforts to address mental health issues among college athletes, and sees in the trend toward sports specialization and the overuse injury epidemic clear signs of a broken youth sports system.

The benefits of sports participation are numerous, says Lyle Micheli, M.D., Director, Division of Sports Medicine at Children's Hospital Boston, including improved physical fitness and opportunities for socialization.  Parents should help their child find a sport they enjoy, but too much sports can result in psychological burnout, physical injuries, and turn the child off to physical exercise.