Current Research on ‘Youth’ in the Sociology of Sports in Canada

This presentation provides an overview of the current research in the sociology of sports in Canada focusing on the social factors that modulate youth participation and on the variety of social issues related to gender, identities, injuries, abuse, positive development and other considerations that influence youth involvement in sports. While few sociologists of sports problematize ‘youths’ as a specific social category, these studies provide valuable empirical data on youth experiences of inclusion and/or marginalization in sports and outline relevant policy issues to enhance youth participation.