Synopsis Sports psychology is a developing field that specializes in the relationship between the psyche and sports. There are several ways in which this works. First, sports psychology evaluates what effect the psyche mental well being has on participating in sports and how changes to the psyche may improve performance. Second, the field is now increasingly looking at how sports changes the psyche, and in what contexts participation in sports might be used to dramatically change the way people think and feel. The field of sports psychology got its start in the 1920s, and in the US, the early hero of this profession was Cloman Griffith, who wrote the first two books about this new profession. There may be different paths towards becoming a sport psychologist. Some people study in traditional areas of psychology in master's or doctorate programs, and might jointly study in physical education or sports.