In recent years, there has been a decline in happiness among adult Americans, which has been attributed to factors such as a decrease in social capital, problematic social media use, and the negative impact of professional sports on athletes. This has led to a growing interest in understanding the relationship between self-esteem, happiness, and participation in sports. Additionally, use of social media has been driven by a fear of missing out and has been found to have a negative impact on life satisfaction, particularly in adolescents. However, evidence suggests that social play can increase happiness, therefore its absence may contribute to the rise in unhappiness. (words: 101)