Are Latinx youth getting in the game? The effects of gender, class, ethnicity, and language on Latinx youth sport participation

Within the United States, sport has historically been a site for public struggles about equality. Despite the benefits of athletics, US Latinx youth (especially teenage girls) are less likely than other ethnoracial groups to participate in sports. Previous research has shown that gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and language affect sport participation. This study examines those influences on Latinx sport involvement and explores how those factors differ for boys and for girls. Data on sport participation was collected for a subset of eighth and tenth graders (n = 15,766) that participated in the Monitoring the Future study. Regression analysis shows that boys were more likely than girls to play sports and that the influence of socioeconomic status was slightly stronger among girls. Sport participation was higher in native-English-speaking girls than among girls who learned English as a second language. These findings have implications for professionals who work with Latinx adolescents.