Citation

Butler LS, Janosky J, Knell G, Ulman S, Latz K. Curr. Sports Med. Rep. 2024; 23(3): 62-68.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1249/JSR.0000000000001148

PMID

38437489

Abstract

Children's participation in sport is a critical component to their physical and social development and as such, efforts should be made to provide all children with the opportunity to play. In recent years, there has been an observed shift in the focus of youth sports from that of participation for the health benefits of physical activity and fun to that of winning and competing. As a result, there has been a rise in club sports offerings and a subsequent reduction in recreational sports opportunities. This change presents unique challenges to children's access to sport and may not adequately support their overall physical, social, and emotional development. This commentary will discuss the benefits and barriers to increasing recreational sport opportunities using the Social Ecological Model as a framework. It also will propose solutions that can be implemented at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy levels to revive recreational sports.

Language: en