Approximately half of children suffer an adverse childhood experience (ACE) that can negatively affect their mental health throughout life, and “team sports can be an avenue to interrupt these negative sequelae and address the important public health burden of depression,” wrote Amanda E. Paluch, PhD; Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MSc; and Mercedes R. Carnethon, PhD.

However, a significant socioeconomic disparity in team sports for children continues to grow in the United States, driven in part by a youth sports industry and culture that caters to high-income families looking to improve their children’s performance. “Although unintentional, these expenses leave behind lower-income children,” many of whom may be at increased risk for ACEs, the editorialists noted. Many inexpensive, community-based recreation leagues, especially in low-income areas, are often underfunded and unable to update facilities and attract more participants.

The benefits of team sports appear to go beyond the physical, as the study by Easterlin et al. suggests that feeling accepted and connected as part of a team has an impact on mental health. Also, the winning and losing of sports helps build emotional resilience that carries over to other areas of life, the editorialists added.

“Optimizing the opportunities for sports during adolescence requires relatively few resources and is a low-cost way to improve quality of life and reduce the population burden of mental health disorders, especially for adolescents and young adults with histories of ACEs,” they concluded.

Dr. Paluch and Dr. Carnethon are affiliated with the department of preventive medicine and Dr. Heard-Garris is affiliated with the department of pediatrics at Northwestern University, Chicago. They commented on the study by Easterlin et al (JAMA Pediatr. 2019 May 28. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1209). They reported no conflicts of interest.