Adolescent sport participants: Segmentation by Motivation Patterns

Abstract

The decline of youth sport participation as a leisure outlet and the associated poor fitness levels of adolescents in the United States are problematic trends. The pervasiveness of passive leisure is fast creating a culture of inactivity, with physical, social and psychological repercussions. The purpose of this study was to extend what is known about youth sport participation motivation by determining how patterns of six reoccurring sport participation motives form definable groups of adolescent sport participants. Samples of adolescent sport participants were drawn from three sport tournaments that took place in the summer of 2001 in North Carolina and South Carolina, USA. Cluster analysis was performed on the responses to 574 valid questionnaires. the patterns of sport participation motives suggested four clusters, which through interpretation were named "Groupies," "Climbers," "Inspired," and "unenthused." Further research is needed to support or refine the sport participation motivation patterns and groupings identified in this study. By tapping into motivation patterns and creating associated youth programming, directed measures to accelerate sport participation and increase retention can be implemented.