Noah Lyles, one of the most celebrated stars in American track and field, broke down into tears after winning the bronze medal in the men’s 200 meters at the Tokyo Games on Wednesday.

In our 20-year study of parent and teen behavior, we have tracked the experiences and outcomes of 1,362 families from poorer inner cities to those in more affluent suburban communities. We uncovered the impact of decisions about youth sports, the value of sports to lower-income families, refugee communities, and the downside of sports when families use it in the wrong way.

Divine Edwards hasn’t played a down of football in nearly 3 years, sidelined two straight seasons after a reoccurring knee meniscus tear, and now, with Connecticut high school sports officials canceling fall football after an announcement on September 4th, an emotional Edwards is wondering what next.

Andy looked frail and he couldn’t find space on offense for a jumper. He had 22 in our last contest with #1 Plantsville, but that seemed impossible today.

Kevin Love, a power forward for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers, experienced a panic attack in the middle of a game and he wrote about it in his Player Tribune article. Love said he had a hard time figuring out how to talk about his inner struggles without showing "weakness".

That’s the number of splat points I had in Orange Theory before Christmas, the lowest in the class, 15 worse than my bride and 25 worse than my daughter leading me to believe that managing my own care is exhausting, humiliating and undoubtedly hurting my status in the family.

For children on the autism spectrum, learning a sport using applied behavioral analysis could be the most effective way to get exercise outside, unwind after a long week of school and therapies, and learn behaviors to have more success in and out of school. But many youth sports programs nationally focus largely on teaching to a wider-net of athletes, including those who are not on the spectrum.

In a study with 256 parents nationally from 22 states, we found that roughly 1 in 5 have had children who, after getting cut from their high school sports team and finding limited options in the school or town to replace their team sport, started dealing with depression, anxiety or other riskier behaviors such as substance abuse or an eating disorder.

The following essay is based on part I of a two-part national study on the changing role of physical education in schools, and its link to mental health. After reading the piece, please consider participating in part II via a short survey (click here to participate anonymously). Results will be published in the Berkeley Research Health Review.