Does (De)selection from a Sport Tryout Affect Sports Participation in Emerging Adulthood?
Date
2024-05-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0009-0002-3771-4974
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Background: The effects of (de)selection from sport have long been overlooked as much of the research surrounding a child athlete’s exit from sport has focused on dropout. One of the potential reasons an athlete drops out of a sport is due to (de)selection. It has been shown that (de)selection can play a role in the sporting path an athlete takes with much of the literature focusing on the negative psychological repercussions. Additionally, the research that does exist focuses on the short-term effects of (de)selection. One study in Saskatchewan (the Saskatchewan Sports Participation Study Baseline Cohort (SSPSBC), 2013-2017) showed that being (de)selected from a provincial sports team tryout did not affect short-term (36-month) sports participation. Within this cohort SSPSBC now entering the critical period of emerging adulthood, this study aimed to recontact the SSPSBC participants and create a SSPS follow-up cohort (SSPSFC) to (i) determine if being (de)selected from a sport team tryout affected long-term sports participation in that try-out sport and (ii) determine if being (de)selected affected long-term sports participation in all sports. Methods: Baseline data collection occurred between 2014 and 2015 and included male and female athletes from 6 different sports (soccer, basketball, hockey, baseball, volleyball, and football) across 3 different age groups (U14, U16, and U18). The email address provided at baseline testing was used to contact participants with one primary email sent out followed by 3 follow-up emails. As part of the email, a Sport Participation and Activities (SPA) Survey was sent out via SurveyMonkey and those who responded comprised the SSPSFC. Descriptive statistics and mean differences by ANOVA were calulated. The Chi-Square Goodness of Fit test was used to analyze frequency data. Results: 140 participants comprised the SSPSFC (56 females and 84 males), 18% of the original 870 SSPSBC. The SSPSFC was found to have similar percentages by sport, (de)selection, and sex to the SSPSBC. It was also found that baseline characteristics in the SSPSFC (were similar to those observed in the SSPSBC. Deselection at try-out was found to effect long-term sports participation in the try-out sport (p<0.05). However, (de)selection at a tryout did not affect participation in sport per say in emerging adulthood (p>0.05).
Conclusion: The results suggest that (de)selection can affect long-term sports participation in the tryout sport, but many athletes still participated in other sports. This suggests that athletes who are deselected may find alternative sporting paths.
Description
Keywords
Sports participation, Deselection
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Kinesiology
Program
Kinesiology