Who Adopts the Sport Ethic? Social Determinants of 'Athlete Identity' Development Among Girls

Presented at the Children and Youth Section roundtable session, American Sociological Association annual conference

This participant-observation study investigates why some girls who participate in an organized, recreational youth softball league adopt the sport ethic and learn to deal with injuries stoically, thus embracing the social identity of an athlete, while other girls do not. Data analysis reveals that while the development of a social identity is partly a matter of individual choice, it is also shaped by social factors such as age, social class, and race. Findings show that those girls who are either younger than twelve years old or older than thirteen years old, who are from higher social class families, and who are African American are more likely to adopt the sport ethic and form strong athlete identities.