Some expectations very high!! Suggests need to nurture & support multiple potential pathways & prep to shift course, as apropros. Recognize long odds. But, enjoy pursuing dreams of various sorts! Concerns remain about people taking things too seriously or overinvesting in athletic pursuits, still.

Parents who were passionate sports fans & played college sports also more + about child’s chances of becoming elite athlete. In sum, seems child's athletic skills, child's athletic identities, & responses to racial dynamics in sports and society are prominent predictors of parents’ expectations.

Parents of Black/Hispanic, vs White, kids especially optimistic of child’s chances; also, those living in neighborhoods w/ more families of color, more +. SES (-) only linked to likelihood of playing pro/Olympic sports. Parents seemingly adjusted to child’s age (-), athletic abilities (+), id's (+).

34% said somewhat/very likely their child becomes college athlete, 27% said somewhat/very likely get athletic scholarship, & 17% thought somewhat/very likely child becomes pro or Olympic athlete. Still, impt that most parents don't think likely their child will achieve these athletic feats.

Study theorizes bout rise of youth sport industry, intensive parenting, & purposive leisure via sports--& increasing push to offer/invest in club/travel sports. Some benefits, but ~=, lots of $, huge time & effort commits, specialization & other pressures, & dropouts. Little reason to expect change.

Some unexpected diff’s when asked bout “competitive leagues” like travel/club, in most played sport—part rates more common, presumably bc defn of “competitive leagues” is more expansive. Also, non-club/travel "competitive leagues" seem to have dried up. But, measures point to pre-teen vs teen part.

Family & community sport culture aspects that mattered included parental fandom, parental athleticism, # sports made available to play regularly, availability of affordable rec sports nearby, & community's passion for sport. Longer durations of playing sports also linked to ever playing club/travel.

In fact, parents’ education interacted with generational differences such that disparities between having a parent w/ a college degree vs no college became pronounced among children born in the 1990s, compared to older generations.

Importance: recognize stresses and strains on parents; decision-making, organization, & motivation + falling on parents; links to inequalities; potential pressures on kids; access to fun, health and well-being, & other associated benefits; parent-child interactions & bonds; needs to collab for all

Main results: novel empirical evidence of generational + in parents’ attendance, (other) support, & (family) expenditures surrounding youth sports. Family SES esp salient in youngest generation(s). Consistently, sport cultures &, obvs, youth sport commitments + parental involvement in youth sports.

Finds modest parental involvement, on ave (parent(s) both attended & offered diff support “once a month” & it cost family “a little bit” for respondents to play sports, in a typical year, while growing up). But, as expected, markedly higher levels when immersed in sport cultures, while growing up.