ABSTRACT
Youth sports has found itself at a crossroads as our society has shifted from a game to a sport culture, whereby the athletic activity of young athletes is controlled and maintained by a combination of parents, coaches, and administrators. For many families, sports consume a signifi cant portion of their leisure activities, including the enactment, consumption, and performance of sports (Kassing et al., 2004). For larger families with multiple youth athletes, it is not uncommon for sport to constitute a central role in parent-child interaction (i.e., talk about practice and competitive experiences), parent-child time together (i.e., transporting to practice, coaching etc.), and family leisure time (i.e., multiple family members assuming spectator roles). As more family time and resources are devoted to sports, there is further opportunity for parents to provide feedback (both support and pressure) to encourage participation. Previous research suggests parental pressure is correlated with athlete drop-out and retention rates (Gould, 1982; Gould, Feltz, & Weiss, 1985), stress (Hellstedt, 1987, Jellineck & Durant, 2004), increased sport anxiety (Anderson, Funk, Elliott, & Smith, 2003), and reduced self-concept (Hoyle & Leff, 1997). Despite these research fi ndings, limited research has examined issues about youth sports participation that necessitate parent-child interaction about sports in the private family setting.
