The Adulteration of Childrens Sports: Waning Health and Well-Being in the Age of Organized Play

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The Adulteration of Childrens Sports explores current behavioral and physiological research about how childrens organized sport has changed; how adults goals and needs are at the heart of those changes; and the consequences of those changes on childrens 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 childrens intrinsic motivation and contributed to childrens 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 childrens 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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In The Adulteration of Childrens 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 researchhers 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 Bio

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