5 things to celebrate about the Utah sports scene

SALT LAKE CITY — Fall sports are firing up. With that can come stories of that outspoken sideline parent, the ultra-competitive youth league, politics or big pressure for little kids to perform.

Still, sports psychologist Tom Golightly said there is a lot to appreciate and celebrate about the Utah sports scene. He shared five characteristics of Utah sports and the Utah sports scene that we can be proud of.

Learning life skills

"It's pretty well documented that participating in sports as a youth has a ton of socio-emotional benefits," Golightly said.

Those benefits go far beyond the playing field. Kids develop skills in interpersonal relationships, emotional resilience, self-efficacy and stress management through youth sports participation. Those lessons don't disappear once the season ends.

"Studies have shown longitudinally that lasts into adulthood," he said.

For many kids, sports are one of the earliest environments where they learn how to manage hardships, work with others and build confidence.

Many opportunities

Golightly said access is one of Utah's greatest strengths in sports.

" We have an enormous young population, but so many of them have opportunities to be a part of those things: dance, football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball," he explained. "If you wanna engage in it, your community's gonna have something around it."

Accessibility lets more young people participate and reap the developmental benefits of sports, regardless of skill level.

All the levels of play

Golightly also emphasized the depth of Utah's sports ecosystem.

"You can really train at every level," he explained. "If you wanna compete at a really competitive level... you can probably find that opportunity here in Utah."

Many states offer opportunities for beginners, but Utah provides a full pathway to elite-level competition.

"You can go from beginner level all the way through to the pro level," Golightly said. "You can actually play hockey on the same ice that the Mammoth practice on."

Volunteer spirit

The programs matter, but Golightly said one of Utah's biggest strengths comes from its volunteer power.

"I think we do so well at that in the state of Utah," he said. "We jump in, or we volunteer."

Youth sports would look very different without the parents, grandparents and community members who donate their time.

"You can coach, you can ref, you can carpool," Golightly noted. "I think we do such a good job of being the volunteers."

Local facilities

He also highlighted Utah's sports infrastructure, which is often overlooked.

"When I grew up, I was playing on dirt fields and blacktop," Golightly said. "But now, every city has a rec center; you're playing in gorgeous gyms. These fields are well manicured."

This story originally aired on KSL TV and has been reformatted for a digital audience using artificial intelligence.