Take our Ambition Test

Find a career counselor near me

Youth sports culture can unintentionally lead participants into a life-meaning totally defined by sports.

A young person's life mostly defined by sports can lead to mental devastation when their athletic career ends.

Coaches making kids overcommit to a sport, and parents going along for the ride, contribute to these problems.

Young athletes' search for meaning.

Young athletes' search for meaning.

That’s a phrase derived from the iconic book, Man’s Search for Meaning, written by Viktor Frankl. It's also the focus of this piece. Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and survivor of a horrendous 31 months in a Nazi workcamp. His aforementioned book is required reading in many schools and colleges.

Reading that book (for the third time) emboldened my understanding of the importance of empowering young athletes to find meaning in their lives beyond sports. Helping any young person discover their unique identity is critical to their lifelong well-being.

Inspiration for this piece was fueled by Frankl, in combination with my compassion for the young people I’ve known who are lost and confused in their struggle to unravel a complete life meaning.

Young people are far more than just athletes.

Viktor Frankl’s Experience and........

© Psychology Today