Get off the couch and get on the field.

Researchers from Flinders Unviersity investigated the value of sports for men and published their findings in BMC Public Health.

Because the suicide is the leading cause of death for people between 15 to 25 years old, with the majority being male, researchers evaluated the role of sports can play in supporting men in the adolescence stages in their transition to adulthood.

For their study, they surveyed young males (players), parents, and other stakeholders in in the sports of cricket and Australian football. In their results, they found that all members saw sports as a positive environment for men’s mental health.

They found such benefits included having like-minded friends, opportunity to release stressors from other parts of their lives, engage with other males in open and honest communication, promote egalitarian views, and a place to provide positive role models and mentoring of strategic leadership.

“Clubs are crucial to changing young males’ attitudes and behaviors for positive mental health outcomes, with the benefits of socialization for mental health also not to be underestimated,” state author, Murray Drummond.

Good parenting is putting your kids into some kind of sports where they can have fun around peers. It is important for any man to be involved in some of kind sports or regular physical activity. It would really great if a lot of men can stop being lazy watching Netflix on their couch and get outside to play some sports on the regular.

Murray Drummond et al. Level playing field: young males, masculinity and mental wellbeing through sport. BMC Public Health.  DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13200-1