High School and
Youth Sport
Chapter 7
Introduction
• High numbers of children participate in
youth/school sports.
• Athletics provide positive influences on adolescents
at a crucial juncture of their lives.
• School and youth sports are the most influential
sport programs in the United States.
– Reflects directly on the importance Americans
place on involving youth in sport activities
History: School Sports
• Youth athletic participation predates formation of
United States and signing of U.S. Constitution.
• Formally organized youth educational athletic
participation did not emerge until mid-19th century.
• Schools and other agencies promoted sport
participation to aid in solving broad social problems
such as ill health and juvenile delinquency.
History: School Sports (cont.)
• US public schools were slower to embrace value of
exercise and play than private schools.
• Private schools and their students copied English
boarding school model: “muscular Christianity”
• Case Study: Round Hill School, Northampton, MA
• Case Study: Gunnery School, Washington, CT
• Students organized games at college level.
• Athletics were incorporated into school curricula
(New York, Illinois, Wisconsin).
• Boston-area schools formed Interscholastic Football
Association in 1888.
History: Twentieth Century
• Progressive Movement
– Educators touted athletics as tool to prepare for
rigors of modern life and democracy and to
assimilate immigrants into American culture.
– Promoted child welfare by advocating for
increased playground space
– Promoted formalized public school athletics as an
antidote to regimented physical education
curricula
History: Twentieth Century (cont.)
• Period during and just after World War I
– School sports for males were promoted as a
source of physical training for armed forces.
• Sports resulted in boost in school retention and
graduation rates (in 1918: 1 out of 9 children
graduated).
• Athletics became entrenched in schools and
educators took control of athletics from students.
• Dr. Dudley Sargent, James Naismith, and Amos
Alonzo Stagg
– Significant contributions toward meeting
instructional and curricular development needs
History: Non-school
• YMCA: Most prominent non-school (private) agency to
promote youth athletics (Young Men’s Christian
Association)
• 1930–1950s: YMCA branches were opened in suburban
areas that allowed female members.
• Financial calamities of Great Depression of 1930s launched
unprecedented governmental involvement in recreation.
• Case Study: Works Progress Administration (WPA)
provided $500 million for fields-playgrounds by 1937
Governance: National Federation of State
High School Associations
• National coordinator for high school sports, plus
activities such as music, debate, theater, and student
council
• Encompasses 50 state high school athletics and
activity associations, as well as District of
Columbia, Bermuda, Guam, St. Croix, St. Thomas,
St. John, and 10 Canadian provinces
• Coordinates official certification
• Issues playing rules; holds national conferences and
competitions; acts as advocate/lobbying agent
Governance: National Federation of State
High School Associations (cont.)
• Structure: 3 Key Components
– National Council
• Legislative body
• One representative from each association
– Board of Directors
• 12 member panel elected from National
Council
• Oversees budgets, committees, exec. director
– Administrative Staff
• 50 people; day to day operations
Governance: State Associations
• Replicate NFHS model
• Organize state championships and competitions in
athletics and activities
• Final authority in determining athlete eligibility
• The scope of activities, the size of full-time
administrative and support staff, and the number of
schools represented vary from state to state.
Governance:
National Youth League Organizations
• Focus administrative efforts on promoting
participation in a particular sports among children
(e.g., Little League Baseball).
• Require strict adherence to administrative
guidelines: Standardized field size; use of uniforms
and a draft system; promote adult supervision and
safe play
Career Opportunities:
School Athletic/Youth League Director
• Responsibilities:
– Hiring, supervising, and evaluating coaches
– Coordinating facets of contest management,
including hiring and paying of officials and event
staff
– Departmental/league training and disciplinary
policies
– Risk management, insurance, sexual harassment,
and gender equity
Career Opportunities: School
Athletic/Youth League Director (cont.)
• Responsibilities:
– Determining departmental/league budgets
– Overseeing all associated fundraising
– Determining and verifying game scheduling and
athlete eligibility
– Transmitting relevant publicity and handling
public relations
Career Opportunities: Coach/Trainer
• Responsibilities:
– Face complex human resource issues
– Deal with pressure to win
– Long hours with little or no pay
– Most state associations require certification
Career Opportunities:
Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist
• Responsibilities:
– Provide timely medical treatment to participants.
– Often required at games per school district policy
– Usually contracted through hospital or clinic
– Represent risk management strategy.
– Districts usually don’t have necessary resources
to provide trainers-therapists at practice sessions.
Career Opportunities: Officials/Judges
• Employed by schools and leagues but are considered
independent contractors because school or league
exhibits no supervisory capacity over the official
• May require certification from national, state, and
local sanctioning organizations
• Use of unprofessional personnel (volunteers)
common at local level, but can leave a league liable
for litigation for the actions of these individuals
Management Concerns
• Increased pressure to win, “win at all costs” mentality
• Head injuries: Concussions
• Up to coaches to provide safe environment
– Equipment (using right ones, maintaining)
– Actual play (not playing in bad weather, minimizing
physical mismatches, etc.)
• Evaluating coaches important
– Consistent performance reviews
Financial Concerns
• Although school and youth sport organizations are
not-for-profit enterprises, this does not mean that
associated programs are not concerned with
controlling costs and maintaining balanced budgets.
• 2008 economic downturn led to tighter budgets
– Cancellation of local sports teams
– Reduction in coaching staff
– Pay-for-play policies to increase revenues
Marketing and Participation
• Corporations use youth sports to increase profit
– Case Study: Disney’s Wide World of Sports
Complex in Orlando, Florida
• Expanding of opportunities draws more students
– New sports and activities (Bass Fishing)
– Home School Student policy
– High School partnership in Colorado with the
Special Olympics
Ethical Issues
• Coaches as sexual predators
– Increased incidents, new safety policies implemented
• Drug use more prevalent in youth sports.
– Testing has high costs.
– Students feel impervious to risk, enjoy challenging
authority
• Gender equity
– Administrators are responsible for ensuring that athletic
programs treat boys and girls equally and ethically.
– Suburban rates equal; urban rates behind
Legal Issues
• Student-Athlete Eligibility
– Increased incidents of rule breaking to gain
competitive advantage with ineligible athletes
– Increased number of international students
– Impacting conference and state championship
competition
Summary
• School and youth sport has evolved from its modest
beginning in New England private schools in the
early 1800s to incorporate boys and girls of all ages
in a multitude of sports and activities.
• The need and demand for well-run sport programs
has never been greater.
• Administrators, coaches, and other associated
personnel must develop the skills and expertise to
deal with the challenges and issues that have
accompanied booming expansion in youth sport.