YOUTH SPORT PARTICIPATION 
By Josh Leddy

A Research Paper
Submitted to the Faculty of the
Undergraduate School of the University of Minnesota

B.S. of Sport Management 
Department of Kinesiology
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Minneapolis, Minnesota 

July 2008 
 
 

INTRODUCTION

      Many youths today are finding reasons to drop out of the sports they had devoted an extensive amount of time to throughout their childhood. This paper investigates popular notions as to why they are calling it quits. For instance, why would someone spend the early years of their life learning the ins and outs of hockey, only to quit right before their skills can be fully harnessed? A common answer to that scenario may lie in the aspects of specialization which, “is characterized by year-round training in a single sport at the exclusion of other sport or nonsport activities” (Wiersma, 2000, p. 13). It is understandable that youths may become disgruntled when it comes to extensive practicing. However, maybe there is the fear of getting hurt. Hockey is a very high paced game that includes full contact and other means that can cause injury, such as: sticks, skates, and unforgiving boards. Not to mention the potentiality of chronic injury due to specialization.

      Furthermore, specialization can lead to another unfortunate circumstance, burnout. Rotella, Hanson, and Coop (1991) inform us that, “Burnout is a condition of psychological, emotional, and sometimes physical withdrawal from sport participation as a result of chronic stress” (p.421).  Having fun is not the main emphasis in youth sports anymore, and this problem may be a catalyst for the amount of kids dropping out of hockey in the present time. Something must be done to retain and / or increase involvement amongst youth sport participation. If the U.S. population wants to end the ever growing problem that is obesity, it is imperative that young athletes stay involved in sport. According to Pate, Trost, Levin, and Dowda (2000) any form of involvement in sport is the causation of positive health benefits as opposed to the negative health consequences experienced from no sport involvement. The youth population needs to be informed of the everlasting health benefits from sport participation. The purpose of this study is to ultimately find out the main reason kids why young athletes are dropping out of the sport. This study will also attempt to show the important health benefits that might help motivate dropout athletes to re-engage in sport, and look to discover what will bring youths back into organized hockey. The primary questions for this study are: What is the main reason youth hockey player’s dropout of the sport? Why is youth sport imperative to health? And what sport opportunities will help bring young athletes back into sport?

 

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Specialization

      As a youth in today‘s world, it is important to have fun doing many different things in life in order to discover their true passion. Unfortunately, many parents see their child’s young age as an opportunity to hone their skills in one specific area regardless of how the young athlete may feel about that sport and others. Anderson et al (2000) understands that:

The common mistake for most parents is overlooking the possibility of an injury caused by the excessive training. This can be explained through Wiersma (2000) in that, “Specialization, in fact, may potentially limit overall motor skill development, which has implications for long-term physical activity patterns upon retirement from competitive sport” (p.15).

      Ice hockey is a perfect example. Here is a sport where specialization becomes prevalent since you must begin practicing at a young age to have hopes of enduring a successful career. In a study comparing injury rates among elite youth hockey leagues and recreational youth hockey leagues performed by Wattie et al (2007) they found that injuries were more prevalent in young athletes competing in high participation leagues than similar athletes participating in recreation leagues. Here lies another problem, in that, “From 1990 to 2004, ice hockey participation at the high school level has increased 87%”, Yard & Comstock (2006, p.441). In correlation to Yard and Comstock’s findings, along with the injury results discovered in the Wattie et al study, the abundance of injuries will become more noticeable over time if specialization is not recognized as a detriment to a youth’s life. If injuries are prominent among athletes who specialize in one sport, then how can specialization continue as a mainstay in sport when, in all likelihood, someone will get seriously hurt? Anderson et al (2000) divulges into some of the injuries created through specialization:

Unfortunately, these negative consequences are all too prevalent among young athletes who specialize in one sport throughout the duration of their athletic career. However, injuries are just one component of specialization that may cause a young athlete to drop out of sport. The amount of stress experienced through excessive training and rehabilitation of an injury can lead to another drastic measure.

Burnout

      High amounts of success at a young age can be harmful to a youth athlete as well. Imagine a youth hockey player on the cusp of reaching the next level. The player has most likely achieved great success up to this point and has been supported throughout. However, what happens when this player experiences a setback playing the only sport he or she has played throughout the duration of their youth? The player is most likely going to get burned out due to the extreme amount of work that he or she put in. Think of the player as a lantern used by a group of people while walking in the woods. The “lantern” probably withstood the invisible night at first, but as time passed on, began to lose some of its shimmer. This made the “lantern” very frightened because of the difficulties it was experiencing, and its “heart”, the flame, began to twist and turn in every direction, clinging on to the only life it had known. In the end, the “lantern” was blown out by a simple little brush of wind that would not have been felt had it not been for the stress brought on by itself, and the pressure of others depending on it to breakthrough.

      The player was experiencing a common feeling among athletes who specialize in sport, the burnout. Vealey et al (1998) explains that:

It is unfortunate that the next step of burnout typically leads to the drop out of sport, however, this issue can be addressed by healthy parental encouragement. A healthy relationship between parents and children is the best cure for the potential drop out of sport.

Parent Involvement

      It is understood that the youth have to devote a lot of time to an activity in order to experience success. However, where should the line be drawn when it comes to the amount of dedication one puts in at a young age? A child’s participation in sport should be voluntary at first so that he or she can enjoy the sport activity with their friends, and without the strict supervision of parents, (Chambers, p. 414). A child should not be thrust into participation of sport by their parents. They should be encouraged to have fun engaging in physical activity with their friends to gain experience in other areas.  

      Kremarik (2000) reveals, “Parents provide an environment that can significantly influence a child’s desire to participate in organized athletic activities, and their support may be paramount in encouraging participation during a child’s formative and adolescent years” (p. 21). However, parents can go wrong if they only promote the competition aspect of sport. This becomes interesting since most youth sports teams are coached by a few of the players’ fathers. According to Seefeldt and Ewing (1996), “There is common agreement that the quality of the youth sports experience depends on the competence of the adult leaders; most specifically, the coach” (p.6). In addition to the previous statement, Anderson et al (2000) explains that, “Unrealistic parental expectations and / or exploitation of young athletes for extrinsic gain can contribute to negative psychological consequences for elite young athletes (p. 156). Teaching children how to have fun is a necessary component during adolescence. However, youth involvement in sport has another favorable attribute to life in the form of good overall health, which is more promising than winning in competition.

Importance of Youth Involvement in Sport

      The overall health of the youth population is a major concern in today’s world. The technology that currently exists allows many kids to pass time using no physical activity whatsoever, and this contributes to an unhealthy lifestyle. Good habits start in early ages of children and according to a study performed by Telama, Yang, Hirvensalo, and Rautavaara (2006) which researched how youth sport involvement resulted in adult physical participation, “The results show that participation in youth sport significantly predicts adult physical activity (p. 76). Getting the youth involved in sports will also help curb the obesity problem that is prevalent in today’s society. In fact, promising results were determined through research performed by Pate, Trost, Levin, and Dowda (2000) in that, “sport participation is associated with numerous positive health behaviors and few negative health behaviors” (pp.904). Coincidentally, Warburton, Nicol, and Bredin (2006) are believed to claim the following:

It appears that too much sport involvement can be a detriment to a youth’s health, while a correct balance of youth sport activity has been proven to assist in living a healthy lifestyle.

      It is known that physical activity is a strong component in the prevention of chronic disease and injury. However, having a healthy immune system is another benefactor consistent physical activity. This is extremely important to people who are susceptible to colds and viruses. According to Sothern et al (1998) consistent healthy activity stimulates the interleukins in our body which help terminate potential tumors or viruses that may come to exist. Moreover, it must be known that someone with a weak immune system should not over exert themselves to the point of extreme fatigue. Sothern et all (1998) proclaims that, “Short bouts of exercise will not affect immune function; however, more intense and more stressful exercise has an adverse effect on the immune system” (272). This is just another reason why specialization in sport can cause harm to one’s body.

      Aside from the health benefits generated from youth sport participation, there are many social benefits that come into play. According to Seefeldt and Ewing (1996), they provide this information on sports and social development:

There are clearly many lifelong benefits obtained through sport participation at the youth level.

      Youth sports also play an important role in moral development. It is unknown as to what degree sports plays in the development of morals, but there are findings that support a correlation between the two. Seefeldt and Ewing (1996) agree in that physical participation itself will not distinguish moral development. However, there is a strong possibility that physical activity between youths will create moral development through socializing with one another. In fact, Wiersma (2000) informs that, “Sport is considered an excellent environment for children to develop cooperative skills, prosocial behaviors, and close relationships; and some of the most frequently cited reasons for sport involvement are social in nature, (p. 16).

 

METHODOLOGY

      The purpose of this study is to discover the main catalyst leading to youth dropout in the sport of hockey, and to discover ways that may encourage re-involvement. I will survey approximately 200 high school hockey players from the XL Hockey League to determine their level of involvement before originally dropping out of the sport. I chose this sample group because all of the players involved have previously dropped out of the sport only to re-establish themselves as hockey players in the XL Hockey League. Fortunately, I have easy access to these players since I operate the XL Hockey League and know them all first hand. I strongly believe that my previously established relationship with the players will produce high quality answers. The survey will first determine the highest level that each player has played. This plays a significant role when dividing up the groups, because hockey players who quit very early and who are not that good now, may have had the most pressure at a young age. The next three questions will give me a strong indication as to why each player dropped out of hockey, and why they dropped out when they did.

       After the survey, I will use the information obtained to break the players up into separate focus groups to retrieve a better understanding as to why they dropped out. I will be able to relate to their answers due to my lifelong experience in hockey, and plan on teaching them the importance of youth sport and how it has made me a competent person in life. Once the focus group sessions are complete, I will have received the necessary information to determine the main reason why youth hockey players drop out of the sport. I will also have tabulated reasons that have brought these former drop outs back into the game of hockey, so that I can create a positive atmosphere for future youths who decide to return to sport.

      I will also be surveying the parents of these hockey players to determine separate focus groups based on when their child dropped out of hockey. The reason behind this sample group is because each parent has experienced, first hand, what it is like to go through the process of a youth dropping out of sport. Once again, I am in the fortunate position of knowing each parent on personal basis being that I registered their child into the league. However, I do not take my relationship with the parents for granted and will gain permission before asking each player. I believe it is necessary to get as many perspectives as possible and I will explain the greater purpose to each parent to gain their trust. After the groups are formed, I will perform more focus group sessions to further my understanding as to why kids drop out of hockey. I’ve seen parent’s actions first hand throughout my youth sport career, so I’m able to see where they are coming from in most cases. This allows me to ask more questions that might allow me to access the source for young athletes dropping out of sport.

      All together, the information I will obtain while performing my methodology should not only help uncover the reasons as to why youths drop out of hockey, but it should allow for myself to create more enjoyable opportunities for young hockey players to get back into organized youth hockey. I do not plan on being able to interview everyone due to consent reasons, but I believe there will be only a few, if any, that do not permit. I also understand that this process may take an extended period of time. However, this information is necessary to me in order to create a better hockey opportunity for former youth hockey players.

 

CONCLUSION

      Many young athletes who love playing sports are turned off by various reasons that should not even play a role in whether or not a youth likes or dislikes sport activities. I hope to show them that a fun sport experience is still available to them and that there are many great years of sport ahead of them. The early ages of their sport experience are gone, but a positive memory of youth sport activity can be salvaged simply by asking what the problem was, and what can be done to fix it.

      I am also determined to show young athletes the health benefits from engaging in physical activity. I see many kids dropping out of sports only to find them slightly more overweight than before. Through sport, a person can socially engage themselves, become healthier, increase self worth, and have fun. There is no better way to experience physical activity than through sport. 
 
 
 
 
 

REFERENCES

Anderson et all (2000). Intensive training and sports specialization in young athletes. Pediatrics, 106 (1), 155 
Chambers, S.T. (1991). Factors affecting elementary school students’ participation in sports. The Elementary School Journal, 91 (5), 414 
Kremarik, F. (2000, Autumn). A family affair: children’s participation in sports. Canadian Social Trends, 11 (8), 21  
Pate, R.R., Trost, S.G., Levin, S., and Dowda, M. (2000). Sports participation and health-related behaviors among us youth. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 154, 904. 
Rotella, R.J., Hanson, T., and Coop, R.H. (1991). Burnout in youth sports. The Elementary School Journal, 91 (5), 421 
Seefeldt, V.D., and Ewing, M.E. (1996). Youth sports in america: an overview. President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 2 (11) p.???????????? 
Sothern, M.S., Loftin, M., Suskind, R.M., Udall, J.N., and Blecker, U. (1999). The health  benefits of physical activity in children and adolescents: implications for chronic disease prevention. European Journal of Pediatrics, 272 
Telama, R., Yang, X., Hirvensalo, M., and Raitakari, O. (2006). Participation in         organized youth sport as a predictor of adult physical activity: a 21-year longitudinal study. Pediatric Exercise Science, 17, 84. 
Vealey, R.S., Armstrong, L., Comar, W., and Greenleaf, C.A. (1998). Influence of perceived coaching behaviors on burnout and competitive anxiety in female college athletics. Journal of Applied Sports Psychology, 10, 298 
Warburton, D.E.R., Nicol, C. W., and Bredin, S.S.D. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 174 (6), 174 
Wattie, N.A., Cobley, S., Macpherson, A., Howard, A., Montelpare, W.J., and Baker, J. (2007). Rep leagues vs. house leagues: relative age and injury risk in Canadian youth ice hockey. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 29, s23. 
Wiersma, L.D. (2000). Risks and benefits of youth sport specialization: perspectives and recommendations. Pediatric Exercise Science, 12, 13, 15, 16 
Yard, E.E., and Comstock, R.D. (2006). Injuries sustained by pediatric ice hockey, lacrosse, and field hockey athletes presenting to united states emergency departments, 1990-2003. Journal of Athletic Training, 41 (4)