Fifteenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

Using data from the National Sports and Society Survey (N = 3,993), this study describes and analyzes U.S. adults’ reports of their youth sports experiences. We consider patterns in ever playing a sport regularly while growing up, ever playing an organized sport, and then relative likelihoods of never playing an organized sport, playing and dropping out of organized sports, or playing an organized sport continually while growing up. We use binary and multinomial logistic regressions to assess the relevance of generational, gender, racial/ethnic, socioeconomic status, and family and community sport culture contexts for youth sports participation experiences. Overall, the findings highlight a number of social structural and cultural ramifications for youth sport experiences in the U.S. and how they have evolved for different generations. For example, we found evidence of increased likelihoods of ever playing an organized sport as well as playing an organized sport and dropping across generations. Although there was some evidence of a decline in playing a sport continually, playing a sport regularly remained an overwhelmingly common experience while growing up. In addition, results indicated some dwindling gender gaps in youth sports participation, but increasing socioeconomic status gaps. Racial/ethnic differences were more uneven, but there was some evidence of more dramatic declines across generations among Black and Other race/ethnicity respondents. Family and community sport cultures were consistent and meaningful predictors of youth sports participation patterns.