ABSTRACT
The lives of modern children and adolescents are dramatically different from those of their parents. Technological advances mean that children and adolescents have unprecedented access to televisions, computers, game consoles, mobile phones, and a world of opportunities through the internet (Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2003). Coaches, athletes, and parents communicate via text messages and e-mail, use Facebook and Weplay (the ‘Facebook of youth sport’), and post blogs on Tumblr, photos on Instagram, and videos of games on YouTube and Vimeo. In some ways the act of actually playing youth sport is a ‘social anachronism’ — a throwback to the days when face-to-face interactions were a feature of everyday life. Youth sport remains an emotion-laden context that requires people to interact directly with each other. In this sense, we think sport can play a particularly important role in modern society by offering developmental opportunities (in addition to the chance to engage in physical activity) in ways that children and adolescents may not experience in other areas of their lives.
