Sports and recreation: Community anchor and counterweight to conflict.

Abstract

This article focuses on the role and significance that sports and recreation have played in American society. In particular, stress is placed on the contribution that sports has made to developing strong communities and neighborhoods. After a brief review of the historical role of sports in society, the current status of sports in America is discussed. Many communities are today unable to provide the services and benefits that recreation and sports provided during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. With crime seeming to have become a constant problem in many communities, with the continuing escalation of youth poverty, and with the erosion of industrial centers, sports and recreation opportunities have been eliminated from many municipal budgets. By focusing on the issue of whether recreation is a luxury or a necessity, this article examines the function of sports and recreation in both earlier and contemporary community settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) (journal abstract).