More Than a Game: How Soccer Facilitates Mentorship, Psychological Safety, and Research Opportunities in Medical Education

OBJECTIVE: To examine how informal team sports, specifically soccer, function as a platform for mentorship, psychological safety, wellness, and scholarly collaboration in medical education. DESIGN: Perspective article integrating relevant literature with an illustrative institutional case example. SETTING: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA. PARTICIPANTS: Medical students, residents, and attending physicians participating in voluntary extracurricular soccer activities. RESULTS: Participation in soccer was associated with reduced perceived hierarchical barriers and facilitated informal interactions between students and faculty. The setting appeared to support psychological safety and open communication, with participants informally reporting increased comfort engaging in clinical and academic discussions. Sideline conversations occasionally generated ideas that contributed to scholarly activities, including abstracts and presentations. CONCLUSIONS: Informal team sports and other recreational activities represent a scalable strategy to enhance mentorship, wellness, and academic productivity. Institutional support for such initiatives may strengthen psychological safety and collaborative culture within medical education.