Examining the Effect of Adolescent Sport Participation on Civic Engagement and Orientation in Early Adulthood

In the United States, athletics is a major part of adolescents’ lives during high school. Using longitudinal data on 703 respondents from the Youth Development Study, we examine whether sports participation in adolescence predicts a diverse array of civic behaviors and orientations as young adults. Our study centers on a test of two theories. Socialization theory suggests that sports participation, like other youth activities, will increase the likelihood of prosocial outcomes. In contrast, selection theory predicts that once background factors are considered, the significant effects of youth athletics on civic outcomes will be eliminated. Bivariate models indicate small, statistically significant effects of participation on most outcomes. Multivariate analyses incorporating a range of factors prior to athletic participation tend to support selection theory. The results suggest that most of the bivariate associations are attributable to other factors that influence who participates in athletics during adolescence.