America has a teenage gambling problem, and correspondingly we devote a lot of time discussing why this is occurring. Since 2018 (when the federal ban on sports betting was lifted) there has been a seemingly endless cycle of reports to indicate that our nation’s youth are on a path to becoming the largest generation of problem gamblers the country has ever seen. It can be quite disheartening when you really dig into the weeds.
We’d like to focus on a different trajectory today.
There’s a feel good story brewing from the city of St. Louis, Missouri, that exhibits a changing of the guard when it comes to the awareness of this concern. A thriving young company known as Leadership Commitment (formerly, Mindset Sports) is stepping up to the plate to integrate problem gambling education into their coaching of high-school student athletes. In this early intervention initiative, LC is tapping into the power of Kindbridge Behavioral Health’s services to offer more holistic support. Read ahead for more on this exciting development.
How Leadership Commitment is Working with Kindbridge to Educate High School Student-Athletes About Problem Gambling
Who is Leadership Commitment?
Leadership Commitment (formerly known as Mindset Sports) is a fast growing coaching platform that employs Mindset Coaching to bring out the best in others through the framework of competition. For the uninitiated, Mindset is a form of coaching that helps an individual identify the blocks and behaviors that stop them from being the ultimate version of themselves. Leadership Commitment’s pathways facilitate personal growth and development through the 3 Pillars of Community, Coaching, and Content. It’s application in youth development in athletics is tremendous.
As a more holistic form of coaching, the intent is to be both preventative and more proactive in nature to prepare young athletes for the obstacles and challenges of life. Their approach to mental health prepares student-athletes to overcome life’s challenges through innovative coaching pathways that cultivate self-awareness, self-care, and self-control. This is accomplished by connecting with student-athletes and their parents to instill foundational life-skills of character development that foster resiliency, mental toughness, focus, and mindfulness. The methodology promotes the establishment of beneficial rituals, routines, and habits and encourages positive self-talk. These pathways are preventive in nature and are designed to create resiliency, grit, focus, and confidence while contributing to long-term mental health. You can see how this all ties into mitigating the risk of problem gambling amongst young athletes.
A New Focus on Proactive Problem Gambling Education
On top of the common mental health challenges faced by youth, Leadership Commitment has recognized that casino gaming and sports betting has also crept into their lives. Given that athletes tend to gamble more than the general population, early intervention is key. Subsequently, a perpetually forward thinking LC plans to implement problem gambling education into their program. They will teach high school student-athletes about dangers of gambling that they don’t hear about when watching their own favorite athletes on TV. It’s quite the opposite, actually.
Parents, guardians, teachers, and educational institutions with students participating in the future program will be excited to watch the development unfold.
Where Kindbridge Comes In
Despite the comprehensive nature of Mindset Coaching, Leadership Commitment as an organization understands that the program is designed to supplement, not replace, mental health care. As a coaching team comprised of former professional and collegiate athletes; professional, collegiate, high school, and youth coaches; educators; and retired military personnel, LC knows that delegation is imperative. As a result, they are in consistent collaboration with mental health professionals. When it came to problem gambling, it was only logical for them to partner with America’s leading mental health care provider for distressed and disordered gamblers. In doing so, their student-athletes (with parents) are able to access support required to face the new threat head-on, before it takes hold of their lives and compromises their pathways to success.
Stay tuned for more as this youth empowering development unfolds over the months (and years) to come. Until then, feel free to reach out to Kindbridge or Leadership Commitment to discuss opportunities for your student-athletes.
Parents, Families, and Educational Institutions:
CALL KINDBRIDGE +1 (877) 426-4258
OR
Email [email protected]
Learn More About the Team at Leadership Commitment:
The Leadership Commitment coaching team is comprised of professional, collegiate, high school, and youth coaches; educators; retired military personnel; and former professional athletes. Included in the group is Justin Gage who played for nearly a decade in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and the Tennessee Titans. Throughout his career, Gage was heavily involved with speaking and interacting with kids and students from different school levels within inner cities and suburban communities alike. Gage’s background in pro-sports and his dedication to the health and education of the next generation makes him a figurehead and leader of Leadership Commitment. View more below: