Sources
The research behind the writing — the receipts, in one place.
I write about the mental game of youth sports, and I try never to make a claim I can’t back up. This page collects the sources behind those posts.
Newest at the top. Each entry is tagged by channel and date, so if you followed a link here from a specific post, look for its heading — that’s where its sources live.
Tags: LI = LinkedIn · SS = Substack
LI-2026-07-20 · The Untrained Bench
Posted to LinkedIn, July 20, 2026.
If you want the receipts:
Kids play sport, first and foremost, because they enjoy it — the enjoyment the whole “love it or leave it” decision turns on. O’Sullivan, J. (2017, January 10). Why kids play sports. Changing the Game Project. https://changingthegameproject.com/kids-play-sports/
A child’s long-term involvement — whether they stay in sport or drop out — is shaped during the childhood years. Vella, S.A., Cliff, D.P. & Okely, A.D. Socio-ecological predictors of participation and dropout in organised sports during childhood. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 11, 62 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-11-62
Coaching young children is developmentally harder, not easier — it calls for age-appropriate methods, not scaled-down adult ones. Rutgers Youth Sports Research Council. (2020). Age-appropriate strategies for coaching youth sports. https://youthsports.rutgers.edu/articles/age-appropriate-strategies-for-coaching-youth-sports/
Norway’s youth-sport framework aims its strongest protections at the youngest children. Norges idrettsforbund. (2019). Children’s rights in sports. https://www.idrettsforbundet.no/english/childrens-rights-in-sports/