Athletic Participation and Positive Youth Development
Article by Christopher Butler
Description:
High school sports participation has grown from an estimated 4 million participants during the 1971-72 school year to an estimated 7.3 million in 2006-07. There are many different sports in which students can participate throughout the school year (e.g., swimming, baseball, football, track and field, volleyball, etc.). Most sports programs in high school require that a student have a minimum 2.0 grade point average (GPA) to participate in athletics. Since athletic participation requires some degree of academic achievement for participation, it may be plausible that participation in high school athletics helps to boost students’ academic performance. The aim of this review is to explore the positive benefits of athletic participation for youth.
Research shows that participation in organized team sports and physical activity/exercise are comparable in the benefits they provide for youth. Students engaging in these activities are more likely to get into college, more willing to vote, and tend to accumulate more community service hours both during and after high school. As studies show that about 17% of kids that are toddlers through late teens are overweight, I believe playing an organized sport would help to remedy this. Specifically, participating in team sports could help fulfill the suggested sixty minutes a day, five days a week of physical activity recommended to maintain optimal health. Moreover, research shows that students who participate in sports-related extracurricular activities when they are young are eight times more likely to also participate in active activities after the age of 24 --thereby increasing the likelihood that they will maintain good health over their lifetime. Other positive benefits of sports participation include higher resiliency against mental health problems and increased school connectedness/belonging for those students who participate in sports at school.
While there are several benefits of sports participation for youth, the literature also illustrates how participation could potentially negatively impact youth. One variable that plays a role in this would be the morals that are taught by their coaches and/or instructors. If coaches model and teach poor morals— such as disrespect, poor sportsmanship, and negative attitude—the detrimental effects these behaviors can have on youth is apparent. In essence, youth placed in such an unconstructive environment would be negatively influenced and all the potential benefits of athletic involvement would be soured. The student might have a healthy start (assuming the coach or instructor emphasizes the importance of proper technique, hydration, and nutrition) because of the physical activity but not have a quality caring adult role model as their coach.
Further research shows that there is a positive correlation between athletic participation and alcohol use. More specifically, students who are involved in sports are more likely to consume alcohol in comparison to their peers who do not participate in sports. One potential reason for such a relationship may be due to the fact that athletic participation could lower the self-esteem of students who do not excel or receive much playing time. If a student athlete is not good enough for the coach to notice them, and they do not have much playing time, then the student might not feel efficacious, which may in turn leading them to engage negative behavior as a coping mechanism (e.g., alcohol use). In order to reap the positive benefits of athletic participation, students must feel a sense of efficacy within their particular sport. Students have a higher degree of self-efficacy when they aren’t pressured to participate, have support from their parents, and excel within their particular sport. Efficacious student-athletes increase their chances of success on the playing field, while dually increasing the likelihood they will experience other positive benefits off the playing field, as well.
References:
Department of Health and Human Services (2007). Dietary guidelines for Americans.
Le Menestrel, S., & Perkins, D.F. (2007). An overview of how sports, out-of-school time,
and youth well-being can and do intersect. New Directions for Youth Development, 2007(115), 13-25.
National Federation of
participation increases again; Girls exceeds three million for first time. Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., McDowell, M. A., Tabak, C. J., & Flegal, K.
M. (2006). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999–2004.
Journal of the American Medical Association, 295(13), 1549–1555.
Contact Person: Cindy J Liberton
Funding for Academic Year: 2008-09