The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth understanding of \u27\u27What had happened to the urban minority female athletes who became pregnant while playing high school basketball?\u27\u27 The study wanted to provide a qualitative analysis of rich narrative data collected from questionnaire interviews of two separate groups (one in Pittsburgh, the other in New York City). The findings of this study suggest that in fact urban female African-Americans athletes still received benefits from sports participation

Jones, Floyd, PhD

Jones, Phyllis A., ED

Mak, Jennifer Y

English

Marshall University

Marshall UniversityMarshall Digital ScholarManagement Faculty Research Management, Marketing and MISSpring 2007A case study of school age female minority athleteswho became pregnantFloyd Jones PhDJennifer Y. MakMarshall University, mak@marshall.eduPhyllis A. Jones EDFollow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/mgmt_facultyPart of the Health and Medical Administration Commons, Medical Education Commons,Mental and Social Health Commons, Physical Therapy Commons, Public Health Commons, and theSports Medicine CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Management, Marketing and MIS at Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted forinclusion in Management Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contactzhangj@marshall.edu, martj@marshall.edu.Recommended CitationJones, F., Make, J., & Jones, P. A. (2007). A case study of school age female minority athletes who became pregnant. The MAHPERDJournal. Spring:5-7.Marshall UniversityMarshall Digital ScholarManagement Faculty Research Management, Marketing and MISSpring 2007A case study of school age female minority athleteswho became pregnantFloyd Jones PhDJennifer Y. MakMarshall University, mak@marshall.eduPhyllis A. Jones EDFollow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/mgmt_facultyPart of the Health and Medical Administration Commons, Medical Education Commons,Mental and Social Health Commons, Physical Therapy Commons, Public Health Commons, and theSports Medicine CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Management, Marketing and MIS at Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted forinclusion in Management Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contactzhangj@marshall.edu, martj@marshall.edu.Recommended CitationJones, F., Make, J., & Jones, P. A. (2007). A case study of school age female minority athletes who became pregnant. The MAHPERDJournal. Spring:5-7.• I I -.. • I • Reviewed article • • 1nor1 eca By Floyd Jones, Ph.D., West Vir·ginia University, Jenniter Mak, Ph.D., Marsl1all University, Pl1yllis A. Jones, M.S. ED., George Westingl1ouse High Scl1ool, Pittsburgh Editor's note: The two reviewers of this article differed in their opinions concerning tl1e interest of this article to MAHPERD members. Obviously, the editor agreed with the reviewer who felt the information would benefit the membership. Please read it and feel free to give your opinion. Pregnancy, teenage girls and athletics The past few decades have witnessed heighte11ed social awa1·eness aboLtt the problen1 of teenage pregnancy. Eacl1 year al111ost I million teenage wo1nen - 10% of all women aged 15-19 and 19% of those wl10 have l1ad sext1al intercourse - become pregnant (Singh & Darroch, 2000). At this level'! the United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the fully i11dt1strialized world (Singh & Da1·roch, 2000). Adolescent rnothers face a host of' psychological problems includi11g poor education., school failure, limited vocational opportL1n ities., social isolation, stress, depression~ earlier-than-planned entrance into the labor force, and poverty (Sabo & MeJ11ick, 1996). Less than one-third of teens wl10 begin their families before age 18 ever earn a high schooJ diploma (National Ca111paign to Prevent Teen P1·egnancy, 1 997). It has been doct11ne11ted that girls wt10 participate in sports are positively impacted by the expe1-ience (Women's Sports F oundatior1, 1989; President's Cot1ncil on Pl1ysical Fitness and Sport, 1997). A Women's Sports Foundation (I 989) i·eport fot1nd tl1at there a1·e significant positive eftects of varsity sports participation 011 tl1e social Spring 2007 relationships .. academic perfonnance. and career n1obility of high scl1ool girls. The President "s Council ( 1997) stL1dy fot1nd evidence that girls who participate in sports and physical activity are healthier and have more st1ccessf ul futures. Specifically, tl1e interdisciplinary stL1dy concluded that regular physical activity can reduce a girl's cl1ance of being afflicted with obesity, l1eart disease, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, and so1ne forms of cancer. Furtherrr1ore, spot-ts and pl1ysical activity i1nprove body i111age, self-confidence, and even l1eJp gi1~1s i111prove grades, stay in school, a11d avoid un\vanted pregnancy (President"s Council on Physical Fiti1ess and Spo1t, 1997). Varsity sports and minority girls The Wo1nen 's Sports Foundatio11 Report: Minorities in Sports ( 1989) studied the effect of varsity spo1·ts partici pa ti on in high school minot~ity athletes. In 1997, Do11na Shalala, the Secretary of Healtl1 ar1d Ht11nan Services, commissioned the President's Council to perfonn a follow-up study to tl1e Wo1nen 's Sports FoL1ndation Repo11. Both reached simila1· conclusions on the benefits of sports participation to girls. Ho\vever, both studies also conclt1ded that fe1nale Af1·ican-Ainericans attending urban schools did not reap the benefits from sports paiticipation tl1at other grOUJJS did. Researchers wanted to know why these same benet1ts do not translate to urban minority fe1na1es. The purpose of t11is study is to provide an i11-depth understanding of ''What bad happened to the urban minority female athletes who became pregnant while playing 11igh school basketball?'' The stL1dy wanted to provide a qualitative a11alysis of rich t1arrati ve data collected from question11aire interviews of two separate grot1ps (one in Pittsburgh, the otl1er in New York City). The findings of tl1is stt1dy suggest that i11 fact t1rban fen1ale Africa11-A1nericans athletes still received be11efits from sports pa1iicipatio11. Research Question Wl1at happened to Llrban minority fen1ale athletes who become p1·egnant wl1ile playing higl1 scl1ool basketball? Twelve fonne1· athletes \Vho had graduated five years ago frotn an urban high school in Pittsburgh and an L11·ban high scl1ool in New York City we1·e contacted for consent to participate in the study. The age ra11ge of athletes fro1n Pittsbu1·gh was trorn I 6 to 24 year-s of age and f1·om tbe te11tl1 grade to the fourth year· of college. respectively. Tl1e age r·ange of the atl1letes f1·om New York \.Vas fron1 15 to l 7 yea1·s of age. Subjects fro111 Pittsburgl1 we1·e older, average age 20.2 co111pared to the average age of 16.29 of tl1e 1·espondents tt-0111 New York City, respectively. Responde11ts were asked questions rega1·ding wl1at had changed since tl1eir pregnancy. I-low did they feel life would l1ave been had tl1ey not becon1e pregnant'? They \Vere infonned that they would only be required to complete a 14-question interview (Appe11dix A.) Tl1eir ide11tities woL1ld be kept private a11d confidential. Respondents would not be identified by name in tl1e study. Pittsburgh The high school i11 Pittsbt1rgl1 is predominately African American. It is located in the East E11d sectio11 of tl1e city of Pittsburgh in a sig11ificantly high crime page S area. Over the past five years this section of the city has led the entire city in deaths due to gangs and drugs. Tl1ere is no bus service. All students walk to school. Many are from disadvantaged single parent homes. Most of t11e students must in some way contribtite to the quality of life of t11e family by serving as a caregiver for small siblings while ''Mom'' is at work or by working part-time at fast food restaurants. On average, two st11dents per year are killed in violent crimes. New York City The scl100] district selected in New York City is very similar. These students face many of the same challenges. They come from New York's inner city. The community is riddled by crime and suffers from a significant dropout rate. The New York school has a lower than average rate of students going on to college. In both communities male and female students may view sports as a way out of poverty. Data ColJection and Data Analysis Interviews and doc11ments were used as the primary source of data collection. Data was gathered through interviews with the subjects as well as conversations with the coaches of the two schools. The research assistant traveled to her hometown of New York City. Once the students were identified, they tnet individually with the assistant until the interview was completed. The researcher, who lives in Pittsburgh, utilized former players from a local city high school basketball team. Seven players were identified as eligible to participate in the study, of whom two declined to participate. The five (5) players who agreed to complete the interviews did so through their former coaches. In each case the respondents were comfortable with the investigator to the point that they were very open and forth coming with information. Analysis began during data collection. Working hypotheses were generated and checked throughout the data collection period. After data was collected, transcripts were examined severa] ti1nes and recurring themes were identified for content analysis. page 6 The Lady Bulldogs are from New York City. Findings and Discussion In both groups the reaso11s for the girls becoming pregnant varied. However, a main theme was ''lonely and in love with a boyfr]end. '' Parents were very instrumental in supporting the girl's decision to have the child once they discovered she was pregnant. According to the teen mothers, they found it hard to go to school, work, and be a parent at the same ti1ne. One participant felt that her child, ''needed a lot of love, time, and attention'', which prevented her from doing a lot of things she wanted to do. Most of them had to take some time off from school. One of the Pittsburgh girls dropped out of school and one took a semester off from school while three of the seven New York teens dropped out of school. Career plans were ruined for some respondents who became pregnant. They felt their dreams of participating in basketball were shattered. As one 16 year old from NY put it, ''I was one of the best players in the city and had lots of letters from colleges. The pregnancy put everything on hold and I never got a chance to play in college.'' Seventy-five percent of the former players from site one still play the game compared to less than 30% of the former players from site two. Although three players still shoot around in site two, they do not play organized basketbalJ. Sixty-five percent of site one subjects and 75% of site two subjects believed they were going to be successful before their pregnancy. It appears the most significant result of the study is revealed in the accomplishments of the girls after the child was born. Site one results were impressive: all five girls reported doing wel1. They are either married, going to college or working in promising careers such as teache1· 01-coach. This may be the 011tco1ne of tl1e model of success implemented by tl1e basketball coach at site one (Jones and Jones, 2002). Ove1· 95% of the graduates from the high school at site one attends college on an athletic or academic scholarship. Over years of tracking these former and current athletes some remarkable outcomes have been reported. Many of the females are now graduating and returning to their comn1unities to teach and coach. At least one is an assistant coach with a Division I college team. To understand how significant these results are, one need consider that only 65% of the general student body graduate from this high school and just 24% go on to co1lege. In Jones and Jones's (2002) study it was revealed that prior to the implementation of the coach's model, the graduates from the basketball team mirrored the general student body. Site two results revealed that the majority of the girls are still in school or college (4). One is a high school teacher; two others work in the post office and restaurant, respectively. Girls at site one and site two provide evidence that pregnancy has not completely derailed their career plans. In other words, becoming pregnant is not a death sentence. These girls recognize they have missed a golden opportunity. However, they are focused on working to make the best out of their situation. These findings provide valuable information that should not be overlooked. The two sites again share similar comments regarding the reasons for their ultimate success. They credit their success to family and friends, personal motivation/ determination, coaches and teachers, God (faith and prayer), completing education, the inspiration of their child, and sports participation. They also offered some advice to young women as follows the MAHPERD Journal Table 1: Advice to Young Girls and Young Female High School Athletes Advice for young girls who are sexually active: • • Use protection Say no! • • Put school, sports, and otl1er things in life first, worry about sex later. Don't be pressmed into anytl1ing • Realize the responsibility/consequences • Wait to have children • Let basketball lead you to success. It can teacl1 you discipline, n1otivatio11., and time manage111ent. Enjoy yoLtr life. You 011ly get to be a child/teenager for so long. You 're an adult for tl1e majority of your life. (See Table 1.) Conclusion Mi11ority ·fe1nales in this study surprisingly inirrored similar positive outco1nes. These outcomes occurred even tl1ougl1 the literature sL1ggests that urban minority females do 11ot receive positive benefits from athletic participation. Respondents f1-0111 site one and two revealed in-deptl1 detailed information regarding their attempts to tnove forward with their lives although they had beco1ne preg11ant and lost their original dreams. Given the litnitations of this researcl1 effort, there apparently exists the need to revisit previous studies regarding urban ni inority females .. spo1ts participation. Twelve subjects may not provide enough info1mation to draw n1any conclusions. However .. the evidence contai11ed in this q L1al itati ve analysis st1ggests tl1at n1ore 1·esearch may need to be done in order to explain the apparent long tern1 benefits that t11is urban minority received from their sports experience. The findings fro111 site one suggest tl1at a 111odel for success currently used in an urban high school i11 Pittsbt1rgl1 n1ay be valuable in add1·essing tl1ese issues in other t1rba11 l1igl1 schools. References Jones, D. F., & Jones, P.A. (2002). Model tor success: Tl1e i111pact of' a grant-funded p1·ogran1 on an in11er-city girls' basketball team. ll>111·11al of' Pl1)1sical Editc·ation Rec·1·eatio11 lJ11cl Da11c·e, 5 , 22-25, 45. N atio11al Ca1npaign to Prevent Teen Spring 2007 Pregnancy ( 1997). S1zaps/1ots fro11z t'he front line: le.r;;sons czbo11t tee11 p1·egtzanc.v preventio11 fi·o11z .states c111d comn11ltzitie~·: A 1·eport. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Sabo, D., & Melnick, M. ( 1996, June). Atl1letic participation cind ri~·k for adolesce11t pregna11C)': Is there a connectiorL? Paper presented at The Population Council Family and Development Progratn Conference, New Yo1·k City. Singh S. & Darrocl1 J.E. (2000). Adolescent pregnancy ai1d childbearing: Levels and tre11ds in developed coL1nt1·ies. Fa111il_v Pla11ni11 .. f5 Per .. specti\le,32, 4-23. Women ,s Sports Foundation ( 1989). Wornen :r;; SJJorf~' Fo1111datio11 Report: Mi11oritie.(j i11 Sport.s·. East nieadow, NY: Wome11 "s Sports Fou11dation. President's Council on Pl1ysical Fitness and Spotts ( 1997). P/1_,,.c;ic·c1l Acti11itrv a11d Sport i11 tlie / ,ive::; cif· Git·ls. Minneapolis: U11iversity of Min11esota, Center for ResearcJ1 011 Girls a11d Wo111en in Sport. The author ca11 be reached at mak@ marshall.edu or Jennifer Mak, Ph.D., Divisio11 of Exercise Science, Sport and Recreation, One John Marshall Drive, GH 107C, Huntington, WV 25755 Appendix A: Interview Questions Question l : What age were yot1 when yot1 became pregnant? Question 2: Wl1at grade were you in when you becan1e preg11ant'? Question 3: Did yoL1 drop out of school'? Questio11 4: Explai11 tl1e circt1111sta11ces sL1rrot1ndi11g yoL1r preg11a11cy . Question 5: Wl1at l1ave you been able to accomplish si11ce yoL1r cl1ild was born? Qt1estion 6: Wl1at do yot1 credit your success to? QL1estion 7: List any obstacles that have hi11dered your personal, caree1· or professional growtl1. Question 8: Do you still play basketball? On what level? Question 9: Wl1at is yot1r ct1rrent profession'? Question 10: When yoLt became pregnant., did you feel your career pla11s were ruined? Question 11: Who are the people who helped you achieve success or maiI1tain a positive ot1tlook on life? Question 12: TJ1inking back before youhad yoL1r cl1ild~ did you believe you were going to be SL1ccessful at the time'? . Qttestion 13: What advice wol1ld you give young girls wl10 are playing basketball in high school? Q11estion 14: Do you l1ave any adv ice tor young girls wl10 are sexually active as a high school atl1lete? Westinghouse High School is in Pittsburgh., PA. One of tl1e co-authors is fro1n Westi11ghot1se. page 7 

A case study of school age female minority athletes who became pregnant

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A case study of school age female minority athletes who became pregnant

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