ABSTRACT
There is mounting evidence of the benefits associated with participation in sport and physical activity, and this evidence has led to the development of a wide range of international and national initiatives aimed at increasing levels of physical activity and engagement in sport (Bull et al., 2014; World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, 2011). For all of this action, however, there continues to be a general under-appreciation of the scope of the role sport and physical activity can play – both for individuals and the wider society. When the value of sport and/or physical activity are discussed, there is a strong and somewhat exclusive tendency to focus on a narrow range of issues related to physical ill-health, such as obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart disease (WHO, 2013). There is no disagreement that physical (ill-)health is important, but it is argued in this chapter that it represents only a fraction of what empirical studies suggest are the full range of benefits available to those participating in sport and physical activity. Moreover, there may be a danger of prioritising negative consequences of inactivity at the expense of positive outcomes, both in terms of representing a complete picture, and of offering a sustainable vision for the future. In other words, a narrowly focused, negatively framed agenda for sport and physical activity can be useful in the short term, primarily through scaring policymakers and politicians into action, but its potency will be inversely related to its success. This is not just a rhetorical or political device: as will be seen below, the positive outcomes of sport and physical activity are interconnected in nature and reinforcing in their interaction. The true value of sport and physical activity can only be fully appreciated from a broad, holistic perspective. In this chapter, we offer a summary and extension of a relatively new framework for discussing the outcomes of sport and physical activity. The Human Capital Model (HCM) is a framework that assumes a wider and more inclusive perspective of sport and physical activity, and offers a holistic consideration of human development (Bailey et al., 2012, 2013).1
Underlying the HCM is an assertion that the stock of competencies, knowledge, and personal attributes are embodied in the ability to take part in activity-related activities. Such activities produce value(s) that can be realised through increased well-being, educational attainment, and, ultimately, economic value. There is a compelling and growing evidence-base related to the broader benefits of sport and physical activity and there is increasing acceptance that participation in regular sport and/or physical activity forms an important and necessary feature of healthy living and development, precisely because of the consequences of inactivity (UNESCO, 2013; WHO, 2013).
