Sports: The Importance Of Diversity In Youth Sports

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According to a recent study found in an ESPN article about youth sports, there are approximately 21.5 million kids from the age of six to seventeen (Kelley & Carchia) Which is a staggering number because according to the 2014 population estimate for the United States Census Bureau, Kansas has a population of roughly three million people (U.S. Census); the amount of youth kids involved in sports is seven times the population of Kansas. The sports these kids play bring together communities and neighbors of all genders, races, cultures, and ethnicities. Many people also believe that sports instill values in kids that they cannot find elsewhere such as hard work, discipline, working with others, following rules, and respect. In many youth sports, …show more content…

The growth in diversity in sports is obvious today with all the possibilities that people have. African Americans truly have made significant strides in the sports world as they have many super stars in multiple sports that kids have to look up to such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jamaal Charles, and Andrew McCutchen to name a few. Women have also made a huge impact with the WNBA and LPGA and multiple other leagues that they play in. In a country where around 21.5 million kids play sports, it is no wonder that collegiate athletics are so popular. There are three divisions of the NCAA, they are separated by size of schools and division I is the biggest then division II then the third. According to statistics gathered by the NCAA, there are more than 460,000 Student-athletes across the divisions (NCAA). A little over half of those students receive a certain amount of aid on an athletic scholarship. Another wonderful thing that sports provide kids is an education; about 81 percent of those student-athletes …show more content…

It has an obvious impact on people in so many ways socially and economically. It was shown with Miles Alexander and how it brought together kids from complete opposite upbringings. The industry has helped many civil rights efforts like African Americans working to gain equal rights, or girls wanting an equal ground of opportunity to play sports. Economically speaking, it brings over ten billion dollars into the economy and benefitting hundreds of thousands of people (Burrow). That is why the sports industry is so significant to the nation because it brings together individuals from diverse cultures, races, ethnicities, and

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