Children’s Sports ii

Beginning as young as five or six years of age, children participate in organized youth sports and there are an estimated 25-35 million children under the age of eighteen who participate in organized youth sports. Whether success records, statistics, motivational factors or personal reasons are the motivators behind participation in sports, athletes are often studied by the population. Despite a large contingency of children who participate in sports, professional or adult athletes ’ thoughts and motivations are often studied. However, one thing is known: The reason children play sports is because they are fun. This study explored the viewpoints of parents, coaches and students from Marietta Middle School and their opinions regarding why children choose to participate in youth sports. More importantly, their viewpoints on whether or not the opinions of parents and coaches match the perceptions of the athletes themselves. The researcher conducted a survey of 6-8 grade students from Marietta Middle School, their parents as well as parent-coaches. The survey was distributed via the classroom to the students and distributed to the homes of parents/coaches via the students. Children’s Sports ii