Collegiate Athletes\u27 View on Empowering Our Youth Through Sports and the Reduction of Crime

This thesis seeks to analyze student athlete’s perception on children who engage in athletics as youth, are less likely to be involved in juvenile delinquency. The research will focus on a study group of 200 student-athletes at Tennessee State University from various sports including: men and women basketball, football, softball, baseball, volleyball, cheerleading and golf team members. The research consisted of student athletes of both genders, as well as, student athletes from all classification ranks. The study group’s age frame of participants was ages 18 and over. This study was examined the gender, major, and classification influences from the study group. In which led to the hypothesis of the research: Tennessee State University student athletes’ perception on youth who participate in athletics at the middle school and high school level are less likely to engage in juvenile delinquent activities. This thesis explored the pros and cons on perceptions of sports and the reduction of juvenile delinquency. This study showed that sports gave children an alternative to deviant acts and a way to gain self-identity. The study indicated that with sports children can become strong role models and leaders in their communities. According to the study and the outcome of this research, the hypothesis was supported. There are countless benefits provided for students that participate in sports that range from emotional, social, and behavioral benefits, etc. Students that participate in sports expand their unique self-identity, as well as, ascend in self-esteem to be confident in endeavors they may pursue in the future. The statistical analysis from the research showed that gender correlation showed a great amount of significance on five out of the ten questions on the Likert statements. All five of the questions were .05 or below so the null hypothesis can be rejected for those questions. Based on the strength of the correlation, males and females are not in agreement regarding those five questions. Meanwhile, the other five questions were not far away from being rejected. The other two alternate hypotheses, classification and major, had no significant statistical data from the research