Abstract
Concerted cultivation (Lareau, 2003) is a classed parenting approach whereby parents actively foster their children’s intellectual, social, and emotional skills in hopes of equipping their children for future success. Although the concept originates in sociology, it is relevant to youth sport psychology research given its focus on parents’ values, behaviors, and goals related to their children’s extracurricular activities. Historically, research on concerted cultivation has rarely considered how race may shape parenting practices, particularly in sport. This study was designed to explore race and concerted cultivation in youth sport by examining group differences between parents’ racial identities and priorities for their children's sport participation. We assessed parents’ priorities based on how they ranked the importance of ten philosophies their children’s coaches should have, among a sample of 1,848 parents (Mage = 40.89, SDage = 10.58) with children (ages 6-18) participating in sport. Rank-ordered logistic regression revealed significant differences in parent priorities, notably with Black parents demonstrating lower odds of prioritizing social-emotional philosophies (e.g., good sportsmanship, OR = 0.39, p < .001; love of sport, OR = 0.47, p < .001; having fun, OR = 0.54, p < .001) compared to White parents. All racial groups showed similar preferences for philosophies regarding playing time distribution, winning, and learning life skills. Interestingly, mothers demonstrated higher preference for social-emotional philosophies compared to fathers. These findings offer preliminary insight into the intersection of race, class, and gender in sport parenting styles and practices, and reinforce the need for more cultural approaches to sport parenting research.
