Deciding to participate in a sport involves much consideration. Parents, especially, have much to consider when making a decision for a child to take up a sport: risks of injury, coaching philosophy, expense, and acceptance by teammates. Parents, today, have an opportunity to read case studies conducted by sociologists to gain information on various sports and their effects on young athletes. Reading studies, talking to athletes participating in sports, and talking to community sport organizations are resources parents can use.
The study by Jay Coakley and Anita White would be interesting to read in full. It would be interesting to learn exactly why the young people living in the working-class community decided against participating in the
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In the textbook Coakley (2017) lists five factors that that the young people took into account in making their decisions. In the factor “Social support for participation plus access to the resources needed…” (Pg. 56). What makes up the social support; did the community not favor participation by its young athletes in this particular sport? Was it because it was a state sponsored sport? What about the resources; what expense was involved in participation? Did the athletes have to provide their own equipment? What were the logistics; how far would they have to travel; and, was there transportation available? It is interesting to note that the young people played sports if the sport added something positive to their life. Because of the decision not to participate, one can only assume that this particular sport or organization would not add positively to a young person’s life. It would be interesting to learn why; would there be any impact? It is interesting to note that these young people wanted control of their lives and participated in sports that allowed them that control. There is a perception in this study that these young people have been taught to look