“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power

to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they

understand. Sport can create hope where there was only despair.”

-Nelson Mandela

You may have heard the age-old phrase that “sport builds character.” It implies that sport can teach more than just physical benefits like speed, strength, or performance. Instead, there is a whole field of study where researchers propose the psychosocial benefits that can be gained through playing sports- it’s called sport-based youth development (Holt et al., 2017).

Sport-based youth development looks at how participating in sports can instill a variety of positive life skills such as leadership, responsibility, self-awareness, decision making, relationship-building, etc. Numerous well-known athletes have touted the impact of sport on their life:

• “[Sport] teaches you what it feels like to win and lose. Sports teaches you about life.” (Billie Jean King, tennis)

• “Something I learned early on [in sport] is not to worry about what I can’t control… but what I can control is my attitude, my effort, and my focus every single day.” (Tim Tebow, football).

• “An athlete gains so much knowledge by just participating in a sport. Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting, and of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons in life.” (Kristi Yamaguchi, ice skating)

In essence, sport-based youth development captures how playing sports can “go beyond the ball” and help carry its impact from the gym, pitch, field, or court, to real life.

Impressively, this idea of using sport for good has gained global significance. Global entities such as the World Health Organization and United Nations have endorsed the concept of sport as a universal right and tool in their recent global initiatives. Leading sport corporations and leagues such as Nike, the NBA, and NFL have devoted resources to creating outreach efforts through sport, particularly for marginalized communities that experience poverty or health-related disparities (for example, NBA Cares, NFL Fuel up to Play 60, Nike EQUALITY).

And in recent times, when our country is experiencing unrest from injustices related to racism, sexism, and many other social problems, the role of sport has taken a special place in society. It has turned into a platform for speaking out against inequities and discrimination. And with the likes of athlete activists such as Colin Kaepernick, The USA Women’s National Soccer Team, and many other professional athlete change agents, sport is showcasing its potential for creating a more socially just and inclusive space both on AND off the field.

Sport’s Impact Behind Prison Walls

Despite the idea that sport should be considered a globally accessible activity for all to enjoy, unfortunately, many individuals are not granted equitable access. Incarcerated youth are one such group who represent one of the most vulnerable and isolated groups in our society. In the U.S. alone, there are almost 50,000 youth incarcerated at any given time at juvenile detention centers that range from high-security prisons to residential homes with offsite privileges (Prison Policy Initiative, 2021). Many incarcerated youth experience restrictive practices such as confinement, being shackled, isolation from others, and limited time outside of their cells.

In the last decade, researchers have begun to study the rehabilitative role of sport within prisons with promising findings. Sport programs in prisons have shown many anecdotal benefits related to better mental health, less violence, and a positive outlet for stress and anxiety. One such program that is modeled after this sport-based youth development approach is called Project FLEX, for young men and women incarcerated around the Chicagoland area.

Project FLEX seeks to use the power of sport to foster positive life skills and enjoyment for physical activity. The program is held at two high-security youth prisons for 14- to 20-year-olds from the state of Illinois. Many of the youth have experienced significant trauma in their lives pre-incarceration as products of gang violence, physical and sexual abuse, homelessness, or food insecurity. In line with the greater makeup of incarcerated youth nationally, the majority of individuals are youth of color who comefrom underserved urban areas.

Project FLEX aims to work against the systemic challenges present in these youths’ lives to give them a safe space to play – sometimes it’s traditional team sports like basketball or flag football. Other times it’s more unique sports that create a level playing field for all – like handball, tennis-baseball, or kickball. For each FLEX session, a specific life skill is integrated into the sport through a variety of techniques. For example, program leaders might facilitate talking about the life skill through pointing out teachable moments that authentically arise through scrimmages, asking reflective questions, acknowledging when youth exercise the skill or identifying when the skill might enhance gameplay or address a specific conflict.

Rather than focusing on more traditional, formal terms for life skills that youth might associate with school, program leaders come up with more relatable terms to young adult language, such as “helping out the homies” (teamwork) “keeping it real” (authenticity), or “having a Mamba mentality” (motivation).

Members of the program share stories on how the skill has related to their life in or outside of the prison setting, in either a positive or negative way. These discussions often become more complex than when talking with youth outside a prison setting. Sometimes, something that is meant to be a positive action (like being authentic or true to your values), turns out to be something that isn’t safe to do in their perspective environments. For example, in gang territory, it wouldn’t be advisable to confront a rival gang member to constructively revolve a conflict since that would present a risk to one’s safety and wellbeing.

Other times, the actual behavior that led to their criminal activity is an important life skill that can be reconceptualized for good. For example, youth involved in drug dealing are often tasked with making extremely stressful decisions in real-time – an action that can amount to life and death situations in some cases. That is a pristine example of the life skill stress management, despite being in a less than positive situation. This has been a huge lesson for our program leaders on how sport psychology isn’t a one-size-fits for all. Our biases, backgrounds, and specific life circumstances dictate how we develop and what opportunities we are afforded. Rather than prescribing our own agendas on others, it’s a great life lesson to meet our clients where they are – and sometimes that might mean helping them understand what positive life lessons they gained from negative life experiences.

The Final Score

For many youth from Project FLEX, they are fighting for more than just a win on the court. They are fighting for a chance to rechart their future, reintegrate into their community, or reconnect with loved ones. Sport gives them a space to practice that in a low stake, highly enjoyable setting. Project FLEX helps them connect that “passing the ball” to a member of a rival gang on the basketball court can be an initial step towards peaceful coexistence. Project FLEX tries to relate the perseverance they demonstrate during an intense workout to the perseverance they will need to harness when overcoming negative influences from their old lives. Indeed, sport may have the power to change “the world” or even just one person’s world.