Who Plays, Who Pays? Funding for and Access to Youth Sports

Abstract

■ Parents, school administrators, and community sports program leaders who participated in our survey perceive great benefits of youth sports participation in the areas of physical health, social and emotional skills, and academics.■ Youth sports participation rates are relatively high, and perceived demand has grown for youth sports in schools and community-based programs, according to those surveyed.■ Sports participation gaps exist between youths from lower-income families and middle-and higherincome families. Only 52 percent of parents from lower-income families reported that their student in grade 6-12 participated in sports, compared with 66 percent of middle-and higher-income families.Our finding is consistent with prior research which found a 25 percent sports participation gap between children from families earning less than $30,000 per year and those from families earning $75,000 or more per year (Pew Research Center, 2015).■ School administrators and community leaders in our survey noted that, in the past five years, most school sports budgets have not increased, despite rising sports fees for both school and community-based sports. This places the burden on families to provide additional financial support. Higher fees are likely more difficult for lower-income families to bear. For lower-income parents (those with a household income of less than $50,000), expense was the second-most-common reason their child did not participate in sports.

Socioeconomic Inequities in Youth Participation in Physical Activity and Sports

“…There are documented inequities in youth physical activity, with youth from lower income families and those living in lower resource communities engaging in less physical activity [ 6 ]. Organized sport participation and sport specialization [ 7 ] tend to be lower in children from families of lower socioeconomic status [ 8 ]. There are fewer commercial facilities for physical activity and fewer options for organized sport in communities characterized by a high proportion of low-income residents [ 9 ].…”

Virtual Sport-Based Positive Youth Development During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The COVID-19 pandemic also impacted disparities in access to sport. Prior to COVID-19, youth with limited socioeconomic means and youth of color means were less likely to be able to afford sport or access recreational facilities in their schools and communities (The Aspen Institute, 2019; Whitaker et al, 2019). Recent reports suggest disparities are increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”