The Value of Sports on Youth Development

I. Introduction

Sports is the most universal out-of-school-time (OST) activity among youths today. However, many of these youth are also participating in one or more OST activity in addition to a sports activity. Psychological studies on the value that youth sports offer to the positive youth development (PYD) of children have resulted in a vast array of conclusions which often contradict each other. Researchers often focus on the OST activities in general and less specifically on sports activity among high school youths. The researchers of this article studied the participation dimensions among adolescent youths between the fifth and seventh grades. These dimensions have not been differentiated in other studies (Zarrett, et al., 2009). This article will present a more comprehensive approach in the study of examining the benefits that sports participation has on youth development. Specifically, total time spent participating in OST activities, duration of participation in sports, and number of activities provides a more concise understanding to the relationship between several OST activities along with sports participation. Researchers hope that information from this study will lead to future research that exceeds some of the limitations found in this study.

II. Critical Summary

This study asserted that, in regards to positive youth development, sports participation is dependent upon what other activities youth participate in during their out-of-school time. Participation dimension factors such as the breadth (number of activities), the intensity (quantity of time spent participating), and the duration of participation are crucial to providing a more

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...nd this article to someone in the field of psychology or someone who is willing to do the additional research needed to fully

SPORTS PARTICIPATION AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT 6 understand this research. I believe the authors achieved their purpose with this article by providing research that connects the link between sports participation and OST activity and the positive role it plays in a child’s development. The article was well written but it was difficult to understand the lingo during my first read. A second read and research in addition to the article was extremely beneficial in gaining a better understanding of the research. It expanded on a topic that has peeked my interest for the last six months. Coincidentally, during the last three months my daughter has participated in her first sport – basketball.