When are sports a protective or risk factor for mental health or substance use problems?
In a sports context, the opportunity for kids to engage in substance abuse happens in two conditions: One is when team mates use the team atmosphere for drinking and drugs. We’re seeing more incidents of hazing on sports teams with alcohol and drugs. When an atmosphere is set up on a team where that’s the venue for drug and alcohol use, you’ll see more of those activities. Another risk factor is when sports enhance an athlete’s sense of immortality. When athletes are treated differently by peers and adults, such as teachers, because of their athletic status, this heightens their sense of immortality – they wear seatbelts less, do more drunk driving, have unprotected sex. But that’s when the environment is structured that way. A lot has to do with the notion that “I’m not just young, I’m indestructible.” This kind of environment exists on some high school teams. But when it comes to most kids, especially at-risk kids, sports can be a big protective factor. In the United States, one-thir
