A developmental overview of child and youth sports in society.

This article provides a brief review of sport participation for children and adolescents from psychological, physical, and social developmental perspectives. The following areas are reviewed: the relationship between normal developmental readiness and sporting participation; the potential positive and negative aspects of athletic participation for the child and adolescent; the effects of sporting participation on self-concept; potential adverse physical and psychological effects; recent research regarding motivation for youth sports participation; proposed recommendations for guidelines in youth sport programs; a social perspective on sports in the United States; the current and future role of child and adolescent psychiatrists; and future challenges for sport psychiatry.