Sports and clean living: a useful myth?

The effects of athletics upon participants' concern for physical health and community norms were investigated through a correlational analysis of sports participation and use of mood-altering drugs among high school seniors. Five hypotheses were tested: (1) the greater the number of sports participated in, the lower the rate of illegal substance use; (2) the greater the number of sports participated in, the lower the rate of alcohol use; (3) the greater the number of sports participated in, the lower the rate of cigarette use; (4) participation in out-of-school sports is associated with a greater diminishment of illegal substance use, alcohol use, and cigarette use than is participation in university sports or intramural sports; (5) the greater the number of sports participated in, the fewer the number of problems resulting from substance use. Only hypothesis 4 regarding diminished use of cigarettes was upheld but the correlations for hypothesis 4 are small, accounting for less than 3% of the variance. It is concluded that participation in all types of sports has very little effect on the use of mood-altering drugs. Athletics as a social institution, however, can continue to symbolize goodness, fun and fair play irrespective of the private behavior of the participants.