The Long-Term Effects of Early Sports Selection

Adrian Mehic ()
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Adrian Mehic: Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), Postal: Research Institute of Industrial Economics, Box 55665, SE-102 15 Stockholm, Sweden, https://www.ifn.se/en/researchers/ifn-researcher/adrian-mehic/

No 1513, Working Paper Series from Research Institute of Industrial Economics

Abstract: This paper examines the long-term effects of early sports selection using a regression discontinuity design. I show that Swedish track and field athletes who qualified for a one-time appearance with the junior national team at age 17 are less likely to quit sports and more likely to improve their performance. Several years later, although few make a living from sports, selected athletes have earned more college credits and are more successful on the marriage market. I show that early sports selection fosters grit and resilience, leading to lower dropout rates and positive spillovers in other areas of life.

Keywords: Sports; Skills; Human capital formation; Academic outcomes; Marriage market (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 J24 L83 Z13 Z22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 50 pages
Date: 2024-12-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-lma and nep-spo
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1513

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