*This post originally appeared on The PediaBlog on July 15, 2019. Sports — For The Fun Of It Youth participation in organized sports is a trend that has been growing in recent decades. A recent clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics details the myriad health benefits that can be achieved by children and adolescents who become involved with youth sports programs: Health benefits from physical activity and organized sports participation may include better overall mental health in young adolescents, higher bone mineral density in adult women who spent more time playing sports at 12 years of age, and a decrease in cardiovascular risk, overweight, and obesity in elementary schoolchildren. Participation in organized sports in adolescence is associated with higher physical activity and better subjective health in young adulthood. Physical and social skills are developed and strengthened when children participate in well-run youth sport...