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Originally Posted by JamesBrown
This is baseless and completely inaccurate, as some one who played sports growing up, continues to play a sport at a high level and coaches and has coached youth through college programs I can assure you that sports have influenced many more kids than programs like FIRST have. Any one who thinks that the primary impact of sports on 99% of its participants has anything to do with on field results never has coached or been coached effectively.
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I never had any doubt that this is true up to high school sports, but didn't believe in the positive outside effects of sports in college. However, I did some reading and it seems college-level student athletes have better academic experiences than I thought (outside of "revenue sports:" football and basketball).
While there's no doubt that collegiate athletics takes time away from academics and evidence that suggests it causes lower GPAs, most student-athletes believed that their athletic experience would aid them in post-college life and that's enough for me. The most relevant articles are cited below.
Kerr, G., & Miller, P. S. (2002). The athletic, academic and social experiences of intercollegiate student-athletes. Journal of Sport Behavior, 25.4, 346.
Potuto, J. R., & O'Hanlon, J. (2007). National Study of Student-athletes regarding their experiences as college students. College Student Journal, 41.4, 947.
Maloney, M. T., & McCormick, R. E. (1993). An Examination of the Role That Intercollegiate Athletic Participation Plays in Academic Achievement: Athletes' Feats in the Classroom. The Journal of Human Resources, 28.3, 555-570.
P.S. The distinction between revenue and non-revenue sports is important. Revenue sports are likely about just that: making money. Another study suggested athletic success brings more and better high-schooler applications to universities, and it's likely that this refers to the most publicised athletic successes: those of revenue sports. Non-revenue sports, however, are neither making lots of money nor bringing attention. They could have the primary goal of development of which you speak.
P.P.S. Did I do too much research?