Youth sports activities challenge participants and provide opportunities to develop problem-solving skills, discipline, teamwork, and goal setting. Findings from a recent suggest that participating in youth sports promotes the development of grit.

Grit is typically described as a positive character trait characterized by passion and determination to achieve one’s long-term goals. Evidence suggests that people with more grit are more likely to complete high school, perform better in high-stress military training, and maintain steady employment as adults

The investigators collected retrospective accounts of sports participation experiences during childhood from more than 3,800 adults. The participants completed a questionnaire to help identify whether they exhibited gritty personality traits. They also answered questions about whether they thought their youth sports experiences influenced their adult work ethic.

The investigators found that participating in youth sports was associated with having gritty characteristics. Most of the participants thought that their youth sports experiences had a positive effect on their adult work ethic, especially males, Blacks, those with higher socioeconomic status, and those raised in a continuously two-parent intact household. Participants who were involved in youth sports but dropped out tended to exhibit less grit. These findings suggest that youth sports participation promotes the development of grit and positively influences adult work ethic.

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