Low Sports Fundamental Development among Urban Youth: Beliefs and Social Norms Concerning the Culture of "Playing with Swagger"

Several studies have found that social status is an important variable in youth having access to resources that allow them to learn proper sports fundamentals. To shed light on this, a qualitative approach was used to investigate the relevant cultural norms and beliefs of sports involvement among African American young adults. Eighty African American male students attending a historically black university participated in this study in the fall of 2010. Overwhelmingly, they believed that the attention they receive from spectators and/or females and modeling by professional athletes were the major reasons why youth would rather play with swagger than simply using the fundamentals of sports. Participants also stated that youth who play with swagger eventually encounter problems being coached due to their lack of game knowledge and discipline as well as selfishness in a team environment. Lastly, respondents reporting lack of athletic ability to play with swagger also reported that they were more likely to receive "deprecation from peers", undergo "isolation/lack of participation" and to have "higher video game use". Implications for these results are discussed.