"In 1988 when Jeff Beedy was completing his research investigating the influence of sport on child development at Harvard University, youth sport was reach ing new heights of popularity, with unprecedented participation and never before seen expenditures. Jeff 's groundbreaking research was welcomed into a relatively new field, which despite its popularity, was marked by a dearth of social science research on the actual developmental influence of the youth sport experience. Well, as the old adage says, "The more things change, the more they remain the same." It's an understatement to say that sports remain a central part of United States culture. When one considers the sheer number of people who participate in some form of sport, the revenues generated by sport, the amount of media devoted to covering sport, and the iconic cultural status of athletes, it is hard to imagine anywhere in the world where athletics assert a larger cultural influence. Further, the unbridled popularity of sport and the blind faith of the general public in sport's positive educative influence, leave many longing for more research of the sort that Jeff has conducted, research that is rigorous and thoughtful, grounded in practice, and driven by a desire to be useful to sport practitioners. The youth development topics Jeff addresses in Sport and the Developing Child (e.g., the role of competition, the role and influence of coaches, the experience of team community, the importance of understanding child development) remain as pertinent to the field today as they were in 1988-more important, some would argue."
Matt Davidson PhD
Author of The Introduction to Beedy's Sport and the Developing Child Book
Author of The Introduction to Beedy's Sport and the Developing Child Book