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-2026-08-02 · The Leadership Gap
Posted to LinkedIn, Monday, August 02, 2026
Real leadership on a team tends to show up smaller and quieter than the armband suggests — Butalia, R., Fransen, K., Coffee, P., Laenens, J. & Boen, F. (2020). Why the Chosen Ones May Not Always Be the Best Leaders: Criteria for Captain Selection as Predictors of Leadership Quality and Acceptance. Frontiers in Psychology 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.616966
Which means leadership isn’t a thing you discover in a kid and reward — it’s a thing you can build in a kid on purpose, armband or not. — Gould, D. & Voelker, D. K. (2010). Youth Sport Leadership Development: Leveraging the Sports Captaincy Experience. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action 1(1), pp. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/21520704.2010.497695
The best programs I’ve seen don’t crown leaders. They develop them — a whole roster of them — and the armband becomes almost a formality. — (2026). Developing Captaincy and Leadership in Youth Soccer — Thinking in Four Leadership Roles. Footnote FC. https://footnotefc.com/en/guide/captaincy-leadership-youth
LI-2026-07-30 · Myth-Buster
Posted to LinkedIn, Thursday, July 30, 2026
That’s the sympathetic nervous system doing precisely what it evolved to do. — Macefield, V. G., Figueroa, A. & Robinson-Papp, J. (2024). Differential control of sympathetic outflow to muscle and skin during physical and cognitive stressors. Clinical Autonomic Research 34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-024-01015-6
Here’s what the research actually points to: you don’t fight the response, you redirect it. — Hogue, C. M. (2020). Achievement goal theory-based psychological skills training session buffers youth athletes’ psychophysiological responses to performance stress. Psychology of Sport and Exercise 51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2020.101792
The physical signs of nerves and the physical signs of excitement are nearly identical. — (2017). Sport-related anxiety: current insights. Journal of Sports Sciences 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1188983
LI-2026-07-21 · The Long View
Posted to LinkedIn, Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
We keep talking about kids burning out and quitting. — Giusti, N. E., Carder, S. L., Vopat, L., Baker, J., Tarakemeh, A., Vopat, B. & Mulcahey, M. K. (2020). Comparing Burnout in Sport-Specializing Versus Sport-Sampling Adolescent Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967120907579
…if that one thing wobbles — an injury, a cut, a rough season — there’s nothing left standing around to hold them up. — ibid.
LI-2026-07-20 · The Untrained Bench
Posted to LinkedIn, July 20, 2026.
If you want the receipts:
…they love this sport — or move on to the next one. — (2007). Sports Performance and Ability in School-Age Children. HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/fitness/Pages/Sports-Performance-and-Ability-in-School-Age-Children.aspx
…their involvement is mostly made before they turn 10. — MD, E. S. (May 22, 2025). Youth Sport Specialization: Pros, Cons and Age Guidelines. Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/expert-qa/youth-sport-specialization
…save the paid, trained, experienced coaches for the 13-and-ups… — Solomon, J. (2025, March 12). More trained coaches are needed to create youth-centered sports experiences. Project Play, Aspen Institute. https://projectplay.org/news/more-trained-coaches-are-needed-to-create-youth-centered-sports-experiences
But coaching a 7-year-old is harder, not easier. — Till, K., Lara-Bercial, S., Baker, J. & Morley, D. (2025). Challenges and Solutions to Supporting Physical Literacy within Youth Sport. Sports Medicine 55(12), pp. 2953-2965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-025-02313-3
…strongest athlete protections aim at the youngest kids. — (2019). Children’s Rights in Sports. Norwegian Sports Federation. https://www.idrettsforbundet.no/tema/barneidrett/idrettens-barnerettigheter/
LI-2026-07-19 · Leadership Gap
Posted to LinkedIn, Sunday, July 19, 2026
…leadership is a set of learnable behaviors. — Sarun, H., Nara, I., Rotana, S., & Vichet, T. (2026). Becoming a Leader: Essential Foundations of Effective Leadership for Beginners. Journal of Agriculture and Environment, 3(1), 41-54.)
…and half the time it isn’t the captain. — Butalia, R., Fransen, K., Coffee, P. & Laenens, J. (2021). Why the Chosen Ones May Not Always Be the Best Leaders: Criteria for Captain Selection as Predictors of Leadership Quality and Acceptance. Frontiers in Psychology 11:616966. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.616966
LI-2026-07-19 · Norway Doesn’t Keep Score
Posted to LinkedIn, July 16, 20026
Post your U10 results online, and your club can be fined — Henry, C., Reyes, R., & Lewis, M. (2026). Norway bans youth championships before age 13. They also win the most medals. Signature Locker – Program Director’s Playbook. Retrieved July 16, 2026, from https://signaturelocker.com/blogs/program-directors-playbook/norway-bans-youth-championships-before-age-13-they-also-win-the-most-medals
70% of Norwegian kids are still in organized sport as teenagers — the exact age we lose ours. — Grasaas, E., Sandbakk, Ø., Ostojic, S., Hovrerak, M. O. & Stea, T. H. (2025). Socioeconomic status, sport participation, and school-related outcomes among Norwegian adolescents: a cross-sectional analysis. Front Sports Act Living 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2025.1613391
Children’s Rights in Sports. It’s been in force since 1987. — Ellingsen, J. E. & Danielsen, A. G. (2017). Norwegian Children’s Rights in Sport and Coaches’ Understanding of Talent. The International Journal of Children’s Rights 25(2), pp. 412-437. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718182-02502006
LI-2026-07-17 · The Statistic That Never Had To Prove Itself
Posted to LinkedIn, July 17, 2026
70% of kids quit sports by age 13. — (January 21, 2024). Leading pediatric group warns competitive youth sports are leading to burnout, injuries. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Wellness/leading-pediatric-group-warns-competitive-youth-sports-leading/story?id=106567327
Maybe kids quit most sports by 13. — (November 16, 2022). State of Play 2022: Parents, Policymakers Better Appreciate Physical Activity, Face Barriers to Help Kids Play. Aspen Institute. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/news/state-of-play-2022/