Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sports Participation Among South Asian Americans: The Influence Of Acculturation And Value Of Sport, Soumya Palreddy

Theses and Dissertations

Asian Americans, one of the fastest growing communities in recent decades (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008) continue to be underrepresented in sports in the United States. Recent trends in sport participation suggest that while other ethnic/racial minority groups are increasing their presence in sports, Asian Americans may not be increasing at a similar rate (Lapchick, 2008). For example, in collegiate athletics, only .005% of Asian Americans enrolled in college were also engaged in a sport, and in professional sports, only 1-2% of all players in major professional organizations identify as Asian American (Lapchick, 2008). Although statistics continuously reveal this trend, research …