Did Scott Galloway Just Write the Most Convincing Case for Youth Sports?

I’m not sure Scott Galloway intended to write the most persuasive youth-sports manifesto of 2025, but but he may have done it anyway.

If you follow Galloway like I do across his books/podcasts/Prof G content, you know he’s not afraid to hit you with hard, well-researched truths, especially when it comes to the complex, challenging environment boys are navigating today. I admire the work Galloway has been doing to help identify and address disturbing, negative trends re: the well-being and mental health of young men in our society.

As a co-founder of Youth Inc. and the father of a 15-year-old boy still deep in the rhythms of practices, carpools, school, friends and girls and weekend tournaments, I read Galloway’s new book Notes On Being A Man through a different lens. And I couldn’t help noticing that some of his biggest themes map almost perfectly onto what youth sports already teach—and what more kids could learn if we expanded access to youth sports. Galloway’s essential concepts articulated in this book—the stuff about getting off of screens, building resilience, being kind, and finding purpose— comes together as the ultimate argument for why Youth Sports done right are essential for our society.

Below, I have outlined four essential Galloway concepts that perfectly align with how Youth Inc. sees the positive outcomes that are created when a kid puts on a jersey and plays.

1. Action Absorbs Anxiety (Gotta Ditch the Screens) 🎮➡️🏃‍♂️

Galloway hammers home the idea that action absorbs anxiety. Our kids are clearly spending too much time isolated and online, being manipulated by unhealthy algorithms. Sports provide the perfect, mandatory intervention. Kids have to leave the house. They have to move. Focus on the immediate task. For a young man battling loneliness and self-doubt, that commitment to physical action is the best natural medicine—it replaces rumination with immediate, tangible effort.

2. Failure Builds the "Callus" (Grit is the Real Win) 💪

Grit, resilience, the ability to take a punch and get back up—Galloway calls it developing a "callus." This is the single biggest predictor of success, and where do kids develop it safely? Sports. Missing a goal, striking out, or sitting the bench is a low-stakes, high-impact lesson in disappointment. It teaches them that failure is information, not identity. That learned ability to bounce back is the true competitive edge in life.

3. The Power of Code and Accountability (Do Your Job) 🤝

Galloway argues young men need a "code" to live by. Team sports are that code. They teach immediate, non-negotiable values: Show up on time. Don’t let your teammates down. Respect the authority (referees, coaches). It's a real-world lesson in accountability and contributing surplus value—giving more to the team than you take. This is fundamental training for being a decent human being and an effective professional.

4. Master Fitness and Nutrition 🥗

Galloway advises mastering fitness and nutrition early. Sports forces this issue. When your performance is directly tied to how you fuel and treat your body, you learn quickly. It instills the essential habit of prioritizing physical well-being, which translates to better energy, focus, and confidence—the engine for succeeding in everything else.

Why This Matters Now

Galloway’s book isn’t a book about youth sports—but in a way, it’s a book for youth sports. It reminds us that the qualities we want more of in society—discipline, resilience, competence, community, confidence—are already being built every day on fields and courts across the country.

This is why we started Youth Inc. Sports aren't just about athletic skill; it’s about using sports as the most effective platform we have to build resilient, contributing, and mentally healthy young men (and women!). We will continue to support people, organizations and content that fight to make sure every kid has access to this critical training ground for life.

This short clip provides a direct overview of Galloway's concepts of the "code" and "surplus value," which are key connections to the role of youth sports in developing strong character.