Involvement in and participation in sports and physical activities can literally be one of the most positive types of experiences children, adolescents, and adults can have. This involvement can come in the form of direct participation in a sporting event or physical activity or can come in the form of viewing a sport in a live or mediated context. Regardless of what form the involvement may come in, barriers exist that represent a gap in those who can be involved and those who cannot. The following chapter examines children’s involvement in physical activity and youth sports and the factors - social, interpersonal, and environmental - that threaten their involvement. This chapter explores some of the threats to involvement by examining access issues as well as social support issues. While it is known that roughly one-third of American children do participate in formalized youth sports, two-thirds do not, and this percentage drops as children get older. Since involvement in physical activity and youth sports has a positive association with children’s health and well-being, it is important to examine the potential barriers that might result in children getting outplayed.
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