Youth Sport Participation and Withdrawal: Is It Simply a Matter of FUN?

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Petlichkoff
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Sports Participation ◽  
Extensive Study ◽  
Organized Sports ◽  
Youth Sport Participation ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Athletic Footwear

In 1990 the Athletic Footwear Association (AFA) (1) released a report entitled “American Youth and Sports Participation” that examined teenagers’ (ages 10-18 years) feelings about their sport involvement. This report was the culmination of an extensive study of more than 10,000 young people from 11 cities across the U.S. in which issues related to why teenagers participate, why they quit, and their feelings about winning were addressed.1 The results highlighted in the AFA report indicate that (a) participation in organized sports declines sharply as youngsters get older, (b) “fun” is the key reason for involvement and “lack of fun” is one of the primary reasons for discontinuing, (c) winning plays less of a role than most adults would think, and (d) not all athletes have the same motivations for their involvement.

Reconstructing the Community-Based Youth Sport Experience: How Children Derive Meaning from Unstructured and Organized Settings

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 422-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Bowers ◽  
B. Christine Green
Keyword(s):  
Sport Participation ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Organized Sports ◽  
False Dichotomy ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Meaningful Experiences ◽  
Youth Sport Participation ◽  
The Way

Youth sport participation often provides the most salient forum for connecting sport with local communities. In this phenomenological examination of preteen youth sport participants, we consider the experiences and attendant meanings derived from participation in both organized and unstructured youth sport settings within a community. Phenomenology offers a paradigm for understanding youth sport participation, not in terms of the dialectical differences between the settings, but in terms of how the experiences in the different settings inform one another in the creation of meanings for participants. The analysis reveals that playing in unstructured settings actually changes the way participants think about their experiences playing organized sports (and vice versa) with both settings providing meaningful experiences capable of connecting participants to the community. Therefore, taxonomically separating the experiences engendered in the organized and unstructured settings creates a false dichotomy that fails to account for the important meanings to emerge from their synthesis.

scholarly journals Promoting Physical Activity Through Youth Sports Programs: It’s Social

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin K. Howie ◽  
Bryce T. Daniels ◽  
Justin M. Guagliano
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Social Influences ◽  
Youth Sports ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Sports Participation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Youth Sport Participation

Youth sport is a key physical activity opportunity for children and adolescents. Several factors influence youth sport participation, including social factors, but this has not to date been clearly delineated. This study is a scoping review to survey the literature on the influence of family and peers on youth sports participation. The review identified 111 articles of which the majority were cross-sectional, included boys and girls, and were conducted primarily in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The articles were grouped into 8 research themes: (1) reasons for participation, (2) social norms, (3) achievement goal theory, 4) family structure, (5) sports participation by family members, (6) parental support and barriers, (7) value of friendship, and (8) influence of teammates. Friendships were key to both initiation and maintenance of participation, parents facilitated participation, and children with more active parents were more likely to participate in sport. Less is known on how family structure, sibling participation, extended family, and other theoretical frameworks may influence youth sport. The review suggests that social influences are important factors for ensuring participation, maximizing the quality of the experience, and capitalizing on the benefits of youth sport. Future research studies, programs, and policies promoting and developing evidence-based youth sporting experiences should consider social influences on youth sport participation.

Parents, Coaches, and Peers: Their Influence on Youth Sport Participation

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica C. Force ◽  
Dustin Johnson ◽  
Matthew Atkins ◽  
Trent A. Petrie
Keyword(s):  
Sport Participation ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Youth Sport Participation

scholarly journals Youth sport participation and physical activity in rural communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra K. Kellstedt ◽  
Michaela A. Schenkelberg ◽  
Ann M. Essay ◽  
Mary J. Von Seggern ◽  
Richard R. Rosenkranz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Comparison Groups ◽  
Youth Sport Participation ◽  
6Th Graders

Abstract Background Physical activity, a high-frequency health behavior, varies by where children live, learn, and play. Children accumulate physical activity in adult-led in-school and out-of-school settings. Youth sport is a potential setting for physical activity, but there are differences in youth sport participation based on age, sex, and socioeconomic status. There is a gap in understanding demographic influences on youth sport participation and how these factors interact to influence physical activity. This study examines influences of grade, sex, and family income on youth sport participation and these factors and youth sport participation on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity of children in rural communities. Methods Children (n = 418 3rd–6th graders) living in two rural communities completed the online Youth Activity Profile as part of Wellscapes, a type 3 hybrid implementation-effectiveness community randomized trial. Mixed models with community as a random effect examined main effects and interactions of grade, sex, and family income on youth sport participation and these factors and youth sport participation on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Results About 80% of children engaged in youth sport, and full-pay lunch students were almost four times more likely to have youth sport participation than students with free/reduced lunch (OR = 3.91, 95% CI = 1.95, 7.8). Females and 6th graders (p < 0.05) had lower physical activity than comparison groups. Males with higher family income had greater physical activity; females with higher family income had less physical activity. For 6th graders, high family income had less effect on physical activity than similar 3rd-5th graders (p < 0.01). Conclusions While a fairly high percentage of children participate in youth sports, there are disparities in rural communities on youth sport participation and physical activity outcomes based on age, sex, and family income.

Female and male youth sport coaches’ perceptions of teaching sportspersonship to female and male athletes

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 619-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole D Bolter ◽  
Shelley M Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Young Athletes ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Male Youth ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
Expected Outcome ◽  
Youth Sport Participation ◽  
Sport Coaches

According to the positive youth development framework, sportspersonship and character development is an expected outcome from participation in youth sport. Previous studies have shown mixed results in terms of how gender affects young athletes’ sportspersonship, suggesting it is important to explore how boys and girls are taught about sportspersonship by their coaches. In this study, we interviewed six female and six male youth sport coaches who had coached both girls’ and boys’ teams at recreational and competitive levels to examine coaches’ expectations regarding sportspersonship, with a specific focus on those beliefs associated with gender. Our analysis indicated that gender does matter, as represented in the two emergent higher-order themes—(a) Observations of Athletes’ Sportspersonship Behaviors and (b) Teaching Sportspersonship to Girls and Boys—representative of two and four lower-order themes, respectively. Results showed that gender mattered in terms of coaches’ reported strategies for teaching about sportspersonship, suggesting that youth sport participation builds gendered character.

Youth sport participation and parental mental health

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 101832
Author(s):  
Jordan T. Sutcliffe ◽  
Peter J. Kelly ◽  
Stewart A. Vella
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Parental Mental Health ◽  
Youth Sport Participation

Assessing the Relationship Between Youth Sport Participation Settings and Creativity in Adulthood

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Bowers ◽  
B. Christine Green ◽  
Florian Hemme ◽  
Laurence Chalip
Keyword(s):  
Sport Participation ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Youth Sport Participation ◽  
The Relationship

scholarly journals An Innovative Approach to Increasing Youth Sport Participation: The Case of Baseball5™

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (S1) ◽  
pp. S24-S29
Author(s):  
Kerri Bodin ◽  
Georgia Teare ◽  
Jordan T. Bakhsh ◽  
Marijke Taks
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Sport Participation ◽  
Youth Sport ◽  
Innovative Approach ◽  
Alternative Form ◽  
Traditional Sports ◽  
Pilot Programs ◽  
Youth Sport Participation

Youth sport participation preferences are evolving and shifting toward unorganized, nontraditional types of sport participation. This trend has left more traditional sports with decreasing participation numbers. Baseball Canada noticed a similar trend and therefore implemented an innovative approach to increase interest and participation in baseball. This case study follows Alex, the Manager of Sport Development at Baseball Canada, as they develop and evaluate Baseball5™, an innovative street version of the traditional sport of baseball. This alternative form of baseball needs to be tested and evaluated in five pilot programs throughout Canada. Alex collects survey, interview, and focus group data following each of the pilot programs to determine whether the approach is viable for increasing interest in baseball long term. After reading the case, students are tasked with analyzing the collected data and designing the Baseball5™ program for long-term implementation. The case is ideal for upper year undergraduate students who have the skills and knowledge necessary to execute program evaluations and build holistic program implementation plans, and for undergraduate courses in research methods or data analysis.

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