How do factors of being in low Socioeconomic class impact one's ability

to participate in sports

Jebby Holt

Senior Project Advisor: Peter Bradley

Abstract

You shouldn't be missing out on the opportunity to participate in sports because you aren't from a
family that has the ability to afford it. It is important to confront this issue and tell others so more
collaboration of solutions for example, donations; which can begin minimizing the economic
disparities. I have studied disparities in youth sports when it comes to socioeconomic class,
attempting to understand why such disparities exist. Through my research, I found recurring
themes of challenges that people in low socioeconomic class experience which others might
not.Through my research in college studies and organizations, I found that there is a direct link to
socioeconomic class and ability to participate in sports.

12th Grade Humanities

Animas High School

There are many disparities in the realm of sports but one that caught my eye was the idea

of Socioeconomic class and its impact on one's ability to participate in sports due to factors out

of their control. People in low socioeconomic status experience things that many are not

informed of or will never have the trouble of experiencing. Low socioeconomic status families

are also not just experiencing one preventative factor when it comes to opportunity for them to

play, but rather: many. The many factors that they face are often ones that are hard to overcome,

which heavily impacts those in low SES and creates a barrier to sports participation.

This is especially disappointing because of the many benefits of sports, these being

increased promotion of physical activity to youth which in turn helps to rid otherwise sedentary

behaviors that are often observed in adolescents and youth . As well as physical benefits such as

a decreased risk of illness in the future including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes evidenced in

“. . . A comprehensive study and analysis of existing research found that leisure-time physical

activity is associated with reduced risk of 13 different types of cancer, including breast, colon,

liver and myeloid leukemia” (National Institutes of Health). Participating in sports can also help

the development of bones, ligaments, and tendons. It's also been shown that there are many

physiological benefits to playing sports, these being things like lower stress levels, higher

confidence, and lower rates of anxiety and depression. A 2019 study found that children who

reported no exercise were twice as likely to have mental health problems, particularly related to

anxiety and depression, compared with those who met the recommendation of an hour a day, and

a 2020 study suggested that “the more physical activity teenagers participated in, the less likely

they were to report depression as 18-year-olds” (The New York Times). Do Socioeconomic

disparities in sports exist due to social habits, economic capability, location, time constraints, and

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familial beliefs

Historical Context/Background Knowledge

Socioeconomic Status (SES) implies a measure of a person's work experience, access to

economic resources (income) as well as their social status compared to others in society. After

this people are grouped into hierarchical categories, the most common categories being, working,

middle and, upper class. Societies categorize its people in terms of socioeconomic factors like

social status, wealth, income, occupation, race, and gender this is known as social stratification.

The habitus of people and how they identify and answer to the social world that they inhabit

(think personal habits, skills and nature of person) differs from class to class. Focusing on the

working class, some of the common factors they face are things like different social

behaviors/backgrounds especially compared to those in medium to high SES, their economic

capability and ability to do certain things such as participating in sports is much lower. They are

also often in a location where there is a lot less accessibility and resources available, time is also

a factor that impacts them due to other responsibilities they must prioritize in order to meet the

requirements of society.

Expanding on the long list of benefits that sports offer they are also a great way to

increase your social ability and skills while creating long term relationships; whether this is with

coaches or teammates. Having a good role model such as a coach can also positively affect your

personal development, for example, things like goal setting, self-esteem, and leadership. It also

provides a safe environment after school where something productive is being done and there are

less sedentary behaviors

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Main Argument 1:Familial Beliefs

Everybody's families have different beliefs and priorities. Which often is impacted and

different depending on your social class status. Along with your socioeconomic status stem lots

of factors that you will experience more than others, One of these factors impacts one's potential

to participate in sports. This is caused by the lack of family support or the promotion of playing

sports. “The findings suggest that participation in organized and informal sports contexts may be

fostered by supporting the development of positive motivational beliefs about the activities

across developmental periods' ' (Dawes et al). People are more likely to participate in sports if it's

something that's promoted with motivation, which directly relates to my article in the sense that

if young kids have people motivating and supporting them, they will be more likely to participate

and spend time playing a sport. People in low socioeconomic class often do not prioritize sports

seeing as they are sometimes an expense that some cannot afford. This leads some parents to not

pay any mind to the idea, which can inadvertently influence a kid’s view to reflect that of their

parents’: that sports have no importance.

Another family belief that impacts one's motivation to play in sports is the fact the kids in

lower SES are more likely to live in a nontraditional household which can also influence their

sports participation “As shown in a study of Canadian youth, children from reconstituted

families and single-parent families with regular visitation of the second parent are less likely to

participate in organized sport than those from traditional families”(Kuhn 495). This shows how

much of an impact parents can have on children's views and beliefs. This is important because it

shows that not only do familial beliefs impact the want to play sports but so does having support

from two parents who are both present and motivating. Those in low class also have to live with

limited resources which influences their perception on whether or not they are able to participate

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in sports. Though this is not the biggest factor, it's still a factor that feeds into the many other

impacts affecting those in low socioeconomic class.

Main Argument 2: Economic capability

Another major factor limiting socioeconomic class ability to play sports is their overall

economic income. This is where social stratification comes into play and where the overall scale

is made. People in low income families have to battle the issue of paying for things that are

necessary for young kids, but often struggle due to being in low income.Sports are not

necessarily a necessary thing, but they are a thing that can positively impact a young adolescent’s

life. Still, studies show that one’s “Family affluence strongly influenc[es] participation rates, as

well as type of housing and youth’s perceptions of the families’ financial situation”(Anderson et

al 10). T This being said, sports themselves can often be very expensive seeing as the cost of

sports for parents of youth can cost an average of $1,000 per year and many are often unable to

play because they cannot pay. Due to this high cost to participate in sports, the more limited a

family's budget. . . the higher the relative cost of the sport. This leads to specialized training and

the pursuit of perfecting one's craft to only be available for those with money. “Although the

issue of specialization has its own concerns, these data reveal the inequities that exist regarding

the ability to invest in a child's athletic development and future”(Kuhn 495). This creates an

issue of not having the ability to train with coaches, go to camps, and participate in tournaments

in the offseason to further develop their skills because the cost for all of these activities is

something that many in low SES cannot afford seeing as they are paying for different things, like

bills etc. These are also all things that people in high or middle income do because their parents

spend more money to have their kids specialize in sports by paying for elite camps, and

tournaments or even paying for something like a recreational pass which can often be expensive.

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These families have more spending money and are not restrained or unable to pay for such

things. This is the biggest impacting factor because economic income is what creates the

stratification of classes.

Main Argument 3: Location

Location is another component affected by economic status which low Socioeconomic members

face. This is because those who occupy low SES are more likely to live in an environment where

access to things such as facilities, whether this be gyms or even exterior athletic facilities, where

you can work on your game and develop. “As has been shown in other studies, low income

schools are more likely to only have a single gym, offer less intramural activities , and have

fewer exterior athletic facilities”(Kuhn et al 495). This shows just how hard it can be for those in

low SES to attain the things necessary to not only participate in school sports but also just to

play sports. This also poses a great significance to my argument because it shows exactly what

people living in less fortunate environments have to go through just to play. Low social

environments also often have many neighborhood factors that include the overall safety

compared to that of high SES. Location often also impacts a school’s overall income, so those

who live in low socioeconomic class regularly attend low income schools this is because “ The

lack of available resources, facilities, and opportunities at low income schools restricts sport

participation for those attending”(Kuhn et al 495) . This quote shows exactly why those from

lower socioeconomic class tend to not participate in sports. It also relates to my argument

because it gives exact factors low SES people experience that people from mid and high class

will not experience nearly as much.

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Main Argument 4: Time Constraints

Time constraints also impact participation in sports. This is due to the different things that

occupy those in low SES time. This can be something as simple as those in low SEC have to

spend more time working than those of high SES and in turn “Labor force participation also has

a negative effect on leisure time as full-time employed individuals spend less time per day on

leisure activities than the non working individuals”(Ruski et al) , whether this be the parents or

the adolescent kid, it leads to them not having the time or ability to play sports because they have

to work in order to survive as a family. “ Shortage of time often results from commitments to the

family, and it is also dependent on employment status.” (Ruski et al). This time constraint also

relates to two of the other arguments, location and familial beliefs. This is because if they are not

near the the school or community facilities, they will be unable to make the time commitment to

a sport because it is simply just too far, also if sports are not something that the parent prioritizes,

then they will be even less likely to have a chance at participation, because they won’t make an

effort to make time for sports. Though time constraints don't have the biggest impact on one's

ability to participate in sports they are still a factor that gets worse as the others do. It's also a

factor that tends to only impact those that are in low socioeconomic class.

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Main Argument 5:Participation in sports boys compared to girls

As well as sports disparities in SES there are also gender disparities as far as girls and

participating in sports (which happens a lot less often than boys). This is a disparity that should

not exist but does due to the recurring stereotypes that young girls often face. One being gender

stereotyping, “Gender stereotyping is a process in which children's biological sex determines the

activities they engage in (and [don’t] engage in), as well as the manner in which they are treated

in these activities” (Vealey et al). This stereotyping leads them to believe that they are supposed

to do “girly” things, or that sports are too “manly” of an activity. The overall encouragement of

sports for girls to participate in organized sports is negligible compared to that of men who are

often highly encouraged to participate, “Parents have been shown to provide less encouragement

for physical activity, offer fewer sport-related opportunities for their daughters than for their

sons, and perceive their sons to have higher sport competence than their daughters” (Vealey et

al). This falls back on the stereotypes that women face especially in the world of sports. Another

factor why women participate in sports less than men is the physical and biological differences

between men and women which often leads men to be better than women which in turn

decreases the confidence to play. They often hold themselves to the standard of men’s sports but

we are physically different. This leads to many girls not playing in fact “Girls were more likely

to have never played (43.1% girls vs. 34.5% boys) and less likely to be currently playing sports

(36.4% girls vs 45.6% boys)”(Women's sport foundation) this is a shocking statistic and very eye

opening of the disparities girls face, and adds new perspective of the disparities in the realm of

sports.

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Discussion and Conclusions

The more youth are presented the opportunity to play sports, the more benefits of

participating in physical activity. Coaches, too, have to work towards not assuming everybody's

situation is the same so that they can give equal opportunity to every player. Some ways to help

reduce the gap of socioeconomic class and participation in sport is by gaining things like grants

and financial support from organizations who receive their money from the individual donors, or

grants from foundations and corporate partnerships or from states themselves. Another way to

help rid disparities is by investing in a rec center for your kid to play sports at instead of paying

for elite camps because the money spent on the rec center can be used to help provide

scholarships to those who otherwise could not afford to play. Promoting sports and not being

scared to confront and act on the disparities that exist is an important first step. The Durango Rec

center is a specific example of this ideology at the local level. I went there to interview a man

named Andy Greenhart who talked to me about some of the things they do to help those who

can't afford sports pay and play. This being scholarships that pay for over 50% of the sports

activity. Giving out grants and scholarships relates directly to the cost section and the fact that

those in low SES more often than not can not afford to pay for sports, but a scholarship/grant

offers money to help them play. Rec centers relate to location because recenters are typically in

easily accessible locations, and they offer a safe place for kids to spend their time doing

something productive such as sports. As well as cost because their sport programs at least are

always relatively cheap. The promotion of sports relates to all of the research data but

specifically the disparities that exist between boys and girls participation. I am relaying the

knowledge I researched and gained and giving it to people who may have not known about it.

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The research suggests that there are factors/disparities that are limiting certain people from

participating in sports, and are not doing the same to others. It’s also suggesting that there are

more things than just money that prevent people from participating. Many never even get to try

sports let alone at a competitive level, and they never experience the fun and great things such as

sport.

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