Do High School Athletics Pay?: The Effects of Varsity Participation on Socioeconomic Attainment

1984 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank M. Howell ◽  
Andrew W. Miracle ◽  
C. Roger Rees

It has been reported that participation in high school athletics has a positive effect on education, occupational status attainment, and earnings. (Otto and Alwin, 1977; Howell and Picou, 1983). The findings regarding the economical benefits of sport participation have emerged from two regional panel studies and need to be examined for generalizability beyond local labor markets. We test this hypothesis using the five-wave Youth in Transition panel based on a national sample of 1,628 males. The respondents were surveyed repeatedly during their high school years (1966-69). They were followed-up 1 year posthigh school (1970) and again 5 years (1974) after graduation. Our results do not support the hypothesis. However, we suggest that the lack of supportive findings may be explained by the stage in the life cycle at which the follow-up was completed. That is, any economical payoff owing to participation in high school athletics is not an immediate return but may begin to accrue 10 or more years after graduation when career lines have begun to unfold. Another possibility is that the effect of high school sports participation on earnings may only occur for those also subsequently attending college. The implications of specific explanations of sport participation outcomes for the life course interpretation are discussed.

1987 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank M. Howell ◽  
James A. McKenzie

There is a significant investment by schools and local communities in the athletic programs offered by secondary schools. A growing issue is, to what extent does the functioning of these sports programs coincide with the formal academic goals of the school? Using a structural equations model, we examine one theme within this major issue by estimating the effect of high school sports participation on sport and leisure activity later in adulthood. Further investigated is the process by which these effects are played out over the transition from adolescence to adulthood, as well as gender differences in the pattern of effects. Using the EEO panel of 1955 high school sophomores reinterviewed in 1970, we find that varsity and nonvarsity sports participation in high school increases adult sports involvement. However, whereas high school sports participation does not retard reading or “high-status” leisure pursuits in adulthood, curriculum track placement during high school does enhance these activities later in life. Track effects were also largely independent of completed school level. Finally, gender variations in the model were present but not uniformly so and largely appear to make sport participation and tracking effects significant only among men.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Chun ◽  
Troy Furutani ◽  
Ross Oshiro ◽  
Casey Young ◽  
Gale Prentiss ◽  
...  

Background: Current research on concussion incidence in youth athletes (age <18 years) is small and limited by variability in injury reporting and diagnostic methodology. Hypothesis: Concussion injuries commonly occur in high school sports programs. The likelihood of concussion among student-athletes (aged 13-18 years) depends on the sport they are participating in as well as the sex of the athlete. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all Hawaii high school athletes aged 13 to 18 years participating in 14 sports from 2011 through 2017 was performed as part of a statewide standardized concussion assessment and management program. Results: A total of 5993 concussions were identified among 92,966 athletes. The overall concussion rate was 0.96 (95% CI, 0.94-0.99). Girls’ judo had the highest concussion rate (1.92; 95% CI, 1.68-2.17) followed by football (1.60; 95% CI, 1.53-1.66). The concussion rate for boys (1.0; 95% CI, 0.97-1.03) was higher than that for girls (0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.95); however, in 4 of the 5 sports in which both girls and boys participated, girls had a higher rate of concussion injury. Conclusion: The likelihood of concussion among student-athletes aged 13 to 18 years may be higher than previously thought and varies depending on sport and sex. Clinical Relevance: Epidemiologic data on concussion injury in children and adolescents are useful in accurately determining the relative risks of high school sports participation and may be valuable in determining the appropriate allocation of health care and scholastic resources for student-athletes, as well as the impact of rule and training modifications designed to improve participant safety.


2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. O'Connor ◽  
Melissa M. Baker ◽  
Sara L. Dalton ◽  
Thomas P. Dompier ◽  
Steven P. Broglio ◽  
...  

Context:Sports participation is one of the leading causes of concussions among nearly 8 million US high school student-athletes.Objective:To describe the epidemiology of sport-related concussion (SRC) in 27 high school sports during the 2011–2012 through 2013–2014 academic years.Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.Setting:Aggregate injury and exposure data from 27 sports in 147 high schools in the National Athletic Treatment, Injury and Outcomes Network (NATION).Patients or Other Participants:Boy and girl high school athletes during the 2011–2012 through 2013–2014 academic years.Main Outcome Measure(s):Sport-related concussion counts, percentages, rates per 10 000 athlete-exposures (AEs), rate ratios (RRs), and injury proportion ratios (IPRs) were reported with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Rate ratios and IPRs with 95% CIs not containing 1.0 were considered significant.Results:Overall, 2004 SRCs were reported among 27 high school sports, for a rate of 3.89 per 10 000 AEs. Football had the highest SRC rate (9.21/10 000 AEs), followed by boys' lacrosse (6.65/10 000 AEs) and girls' soccer (6.11/10 000 AEs). The SRC rate was higher in competition than in practice (RR = 3.30; 95% CI = 3.02, 3.60). Among sex-comparable sports, the SRC rate was higher in girls than in boys (RR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.34, 1.81); however, the proportion of SRCs due to player-to-player contact was higher in boys than in girls (IPR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.27, 1.73). Common symptoms reported among all athletes with SRCs were headache (94.7%), dizziness (74.8%), and difficulty concentrating (61.0%). Only 0.8% of players with SRCs returned to play within 24 hours. The majority of athletes with SRCs (65.8%) returned to play between 7 and 28 days. More players had symptoms resolve after 7 days (48.8%) than less than a week (40.7%).Conclusions:Our findings provide updated high school SRC incidence estimates and further evidence of sex differences in reported SRCs. Few athletes with SRCs returned to play within 24 hours or a week. Most injured players returned after 7 days, despite a smaller proportion having symptoms resolve within a week.


2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dara Shifrer ◽  
Jennifer Pearson ◽  
Chandra Muller ◽  
Lindsey Wilkinson

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. E27-E35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy A. Eyler ◽  
Elizabeth Piekarz-Porter ◽  
Natalicio H. Serrano

1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Sabo ◽  
Merrill J. Melnick ◽  
Beth E. Vanfossen

This study examines the impact of race and gender differences on the social mobility of high school athletes using the longitudinal, panel data of the High School and Beyond study. Regressions of educational and occupational attainment measures on sports participation were estimated for subgroups differentiated by race/ethnic status, gender, and school location (urban, suburban, and rural). It was found that participation in high school sports was most likely to affect the postsecondary status attainment of white males and, to a lesser extent, suburban white females and rural Hispanic females. High school athletic participation had almost no effect on the college-going behavior or educational expectations of black males and females. Interscholastic athletic participation was generally unrelated to postsecondary occupational status and aspirations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamela McNulty Eitle ◽  
David J. Eitle

Recent research has explored the relationship between sports participation in high school and the sexual and reproductive behavior of females. Evidence has accumulated that playing sports is associated with a lowered risk of pregnancy among adolescents and positively associated with the use of contraceptives, but little evidence has been uncovered as to whether such associations endure into young adulthood. Using data from a representative community sample, we examined whether differences in high school sports participation has an association with the sexual and reproductive activities of young adult women after high school (n = 679). Results of multivariate analyses suggest that high school sports involvement is a predictor of the likelihood of childbirth outside of marriage and lifetime number of sex partners but is not a predictor of condom use during sex.


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