The Effect of Gender Opportunity in Sports on the Priorities and Aspirations of Young Athletes

Abstract

The role and importance of athletics in the lives of today's male and female youth are analyzed in responses to a survey coauthored by a professor and conducted by two undergraduate students at the United States Sports Academy. Athletes at the middle school, high school, and junior college level were asked to rate the importance of sports in their lives and the likelihood of advancement in athletics as well as careers in sports. The two survey researchers, their professor, and a third undergraduate analyzed the results of the survey and how they reflect the current status of males and females in athletics today. The authors concluded that female athletes have a different set of priorities regarding sports because of the difference in athletic opportunities afforded them.