The Adulteration of Children’s Sports : Waning Health and Well-Being in the Age of Organized Play

"The Adulteration of Children's Sports explores current behavioral and physiological research about how children's organized sport has changed; how adults' goals and needs are at the heart of those changes; and the consequences of those changes on children's enjoyment of sport and on their autonomy, creativity, and moral reasoning outside of sport. Adult introduction of early competition, extrinsic rewards, early sport specialization, and year-round participation has thwarted children's intrinsic motivation and contributed to children's attrition from sport. Kristi Erdal explores concerns about the future of sport itself, as adult-mediated selection practices whittle down young athletes earlier on shakier criteria. Parents' and coaches' complicity in these practices, however, is based on intermediaries poorly interpreting (or ignoring) the research literature. Thus, the final chapters of this book are about translating the research into applied ideas for change. Erdal provides an essential introduction to evidence-based research about children's health and well-being in sport and debunks myths along the way. Adults built the problems compiled in this text. We can dismantle them as well." -- Publisher's description In The Adulteration Of Children's Sports, Kristi Erdal Explores The Effects Of Organized Sports On Children's Physical, Social, And Emotional Well-being. Erdal Provides Readers With Empirically Supported Best Practices And Debunks A Number Of Myths That Surround Children's Organized Sports-- Definitions And History -- The Positive Impacts Of Organized Sport On Children -- The Negative Impacts Of Organized Sport On Children -- The Myths Adults Believe About Specialization -- Have Adults Already Impacted The Future Of Sport? -- The Parents Of Children's Organized Sport -- The Coaches Of Children's Organized Sport -- The Future Of Children's Organized Sport. Kristi Erdal. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents 7 Acknowledgments 9 Preface 11 Chapter One: Definitions and History 15 Chapter Two: The Positive Impacts of Organized Sport on Children 25 Chapter Three: The Negative Impacts of Organized Sport on Children 35 Chapter Four: The Myths Adults Believe about Specialization 49 Chapter Five: Have Adults Already Affected the Future of Sport? 63 Chapter Six: The Parents of Children’s Organized Sport 75 Chapter Seven: The Coaches of Children’s Organized Sport 89 Chapter Eight: The Future of Children’s Organized Sport 103 References 119 Index 133 About the Author 137 "In The Adulteration of Children's Sports, Kristi Erdal explores the effects of organized sports on children's physical, social, and emotional well-being. Erdal provides readers with empirically supported best practices and debunks a number of myths that surround children's organized sports"-- Provided by publisher