The Relationship Between High School Sports Participation and Youth Violence

Youth violence is a serious problem in high schools throughout the United States. This study examined whether participation in high school sports serves as a protective factor against youth violence. As identified by the U.S. Surgeon General and many current research studies, school bonding is a significant protective factor for youth violence. School bonding is the building of connections between the student and the school institution, school staff and peers at school. This study used the basis of the social development model to inspect students' bonds to school through participation in high school sports programs. This quantitative study gathered data concerning high school students' sports participation, feelings of school bonding and violent behavior using the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey administered by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The independent variable was participation in high school sports while the dependent variables were self-reported school bonding and incidents of violent behaviors. T tests were used to measure the mean differences in reported levels of school bonding and incidents of violent behaviors for male and female athletes, and multiple regression analyzed the relationship between sports participation and school bonding. The results supported the social development model by indicating a relationship between school bonding and lower incidents of violent behavior; however, participation in high school sports had no relationship with lower violent behavior or school bonding. This research was designed to contribute to the current body of knowledge related to school bonding through interscholastic sports opportunities in an effort to assist schools in reducing violent behaviors in high schools.