Why do children participate in sports, quit sports or maybe never even start them in the first place?
We can’t underestimate our role as parents in those processes. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative partnered with Utah State and Louisiana Tech Universities for a national youth study (almost 4,000 youth ages 10-17) to understand children’s experiences in sports.
Among the key findings from the report, shared with USA TODAY Sports prior to its release on Tuesday April 28:
The survey, conducted with kids Aspen describes as “current players, former players and never players,” found that girls who quit sports reported significantly higher rates of negative parental behavior than boys who did.
“It feels like as a society we are determined to not listen to kids about why they play sports,” Jon Solomon, research director for the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, told USA TODAY Sports.
