Minority Youth Participation in an Organized Sport Program

Abstract

The goal of the study was to examine youth participation in an organized sport program (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) to better understand how needs, motivations, and facilitators affected involvement. With a grounded theory approach, we drew on socioecological models, social determination theory, and the concept of facilitators to leisure as sensitizing frameworks. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants (11 African American and 2 Latino boys aged 13–15) and 5 administrators of the program. As a result of the study, the needs- motivation-facilitators model was developed. The model includes several components: 1) the effects of innate psychological needs on the participation in the program, 2) motivations for participation in the program, and 3) the role of facilitators in promoting youth involvement in the program.

Keywords:

• minority youth
• sport program
• needs
• motivations
• facilitators