Athletic Involvement and Adolescent Delinquency

  • Kathleen E. Miller
  • Merrill J. Melnick
  • Grace M. Barnes
  • Don Sabo
  • Michael P. Farrell
Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Athough conventional wisdom suggests that organized sport deters delinquency by building character, structuring adolescents’ time, and providing incentives for socially approved behavior, the empirical evidence to date has been mixed. Based on a sample of approximately 600 Western New York adolescents, the present study examined how self-reported jock identity, school athlete status, and frequency of athletic activity differentially influenced a range of delinquent behaviors. Neither athlete status nor frequency of athletic activity predicted these behaviors; however, jock identity was associated with significantly more incidents of delinquency. This finding was robust across both gender and race. Follow-up analyses indicated that jock identity facilitated both minor and major delinquency, with major delinquency effects for white but not black adolescents.

Keywords

Athletic involvement Delinquency Adolescence Identity 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by research grant DA 13570-01 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. We would like to extend our appreciation to Mr. Joseph Hoffman for his statistical expertise and Mrs. Barbara Dintcheff for her data management efficiency.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science + Business Media, Inc. 2006

Authors and Affiliations

  • Kathleen E. Miller
    • 1
  • Merrill J. Melnick
    • 2
  • Grace M. Barnes
    • 1
  • Don Sabo
    • 3
  • Michael P. Farrell
    • 1
  1. 1.University at Buffalo, SUNYBuffaloUSA
  2. 2.S.U.N.Y. BrockportMonroeUSA
  3. 3.D’Youville CollegeBuffaloUSA

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