In a study conducted by the National Sporting Goods Association, it was reported that 8.8 million children between the ages of 7 and 17 played baseball in 2000, only 5.3 million children in that age group did the same in 2013. It’s worth noting, though, that the study seems to document declining youth participation in almost all sports, not just baseball. Basketball participation in the same age group and over the same time period dropped from 13.8 million to 10.3 million; soccer participation dropped from 9.2 million to 6.9 million (Wallerson, 2014). This downward trend in organized youth sports participation is a cause for concern. According, to Hums & MacLean (2009), the purpose of youth sports is to have fun, develop athletic skills, and learn the values of teamwork and discipline. Therefore, it can be argued that one of the main reasons for the decline in organized youth sport participation is that the organizations that govern youth sport have failed to emphasize youth sport for fun and development purposes. Do you agree with that conclusion? What governance and policy changes would you suggest to revert to this downward trend in organized youth sports participation?
Substantiate your response using facts and information from credible sources.