Overview

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.

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9781498571517

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Reviews

In The Adulteration of Children's Sports: Waning Health and Well-Being in the Age of Organized Play, Dr. Kristi Erdal writes in a clear voice and thoughtfully digests the scientific literature on children's sport, raising important questions and offering concrete guidance for parents, coaches, educators, and sport administrators. - Britton W. Brewer, Ph.D, Springfield College -- Britton Brewer, Springfield College

Erdal's commitment to and reliance on research as the primary scaffolding on which this text is based makes for an extremely convincing, compelling, and informative experience for the reader. Each chapter explores a different segment of the youth-sport literature and succeeds in presenting and integrating a variety of studies together in a clear and accessible way. . . .The Adulteration of Children's Sports is an exciting example of what I see as an important challenge to the problematic shift toward youth-sport programs that prioritize adults at the expense of young athletes. * The Sport Psychologist * In an area that seems to be dominated by journalistic and personal prose, The Adulteration of Children's Sports offers a comprehensive look at what behavioral and psychological research reveals about the very nature of modern children's play and participation in sports. This is a well-organized and thoughtful book, and Erdal (psychology, Colorado College) is mindful of the vast range of approaches to her topic. To this end, the book begins with a brief history of issues surrounding children's sports and provides definitions of key terms (and topics) such as children, sport, development, and safety, to name a few. Erdal's approach is masterful in its balance. While many writings on the topic reveal a strong author bias, Erdal offers a holistic look at the issues by discussing the positives and negatives of organized sport for children, and delves skillfully into the issues of the adult stakeholders (parents and coaches). The book ends on a powerful and reflective note by discussing the future of children's organized sport. Erdal provides practical, research-tested suggestions for improving the climate, administration, coaching, and experience of organized play. A valuable resource for anyone involved in children's sports. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students through faculty and professionals; general readers. * CHOICE * In The Adulteration of Children's Sports: Waning Health and Well-Being in the Age of Organized Play, Dr. Kristi Erdal writes in a clear voice and thoughtfully digests the scientific literature on children's sport, raising important questions and offering concrete guidance for parents, coaches, educators, and sport administrators. - Britton W. Brewer, Ph.D, Springfield College -- Britton Brewer, Springfield College What an eye-opening book. In The Adulteration of Children's Sports, Dr. Erdal clearly explains the latest research-hers and other scientists'-about how today's intense, competitive, over-organized and `adulterated' approach to children's sports is failing so many of our children and having a rather unfortunate effect on the behavior of parents and coaches too. Helpfully, she also offers practical and scientifically valid suggestions for improving how we recruit, coach and encourage young players. Essential reading for parents, coaches, researchers and, really, anyone involved with children's sports. - Gretchen Reynolds, The New York Times -- Gretchen Reynolds

Author Information

Kristi Erdal is professor of psychology and chair of the Human Biology and Kinesiology Department at Colorado College.

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