Do School Sports Have A Positive Impact On Juvenile Delinquency

Do School Sports Have A Positive Impact On Juvenile Delinquency

Peer InfluenceAdolescents that are a part of a sports team tend to befriend others of like interests. This makes it less likely that your teenager will associate with deviant peers. In a study conducted by Thorolfur Thorlindsson and colleagues on peer groups and substance use, it was found that teenagers who participated in positive leisure activities, such as school sports or clubs, were less likely to abuse alcohol and drugs due to pressure from negative peer influence. Adolescents that are a part of a school sports team also are deterred from becoming involved with gangs or in gangrelated activity.

SchoolIn most cases, involvement in schoolrelated activities, such as sports, is dependent on a student grades and school attendance. The basic idea is that if an adolescent wants to play school sports, he also has to study, attend school and stay out of trouble. For this reason, truancy declines and students feel more connected with the school. Afterschool and summer practices and activities also decrease potential delinquent actions during times adolescents are not attending school. Students that play sports in high school also have an increased chance of furthering their education, therefore avoiding future criminality.

Negative ImpactThere are some conflicting views on whether schoolrelated sports in the teen years have a positive or negative influence on certain types of delinquency. Research on adolescents, conducted by Kathleen E. Miller and colleagues at the University of Buffalo, showed that when the students identified themselves as jocks, minor delinquency, such as fighting with parents, cursing and fighting, was frequently reported among them. A possible explanation for the difference between jockidentity and delinquency as opposed to sport participation and delinquency is that jocks see themselves as a specific superior group. Athletes, on the other hand, are more focused on the sport itself. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Moreover, we do not select every advertiser or advertisement that appears on the web sitemany of the advertisements are served by third party advertising companies.