The motivation to participate in sports: a study of senior Olympians
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Authors
Rifas, Susan B.
Issue Date
1988
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The study was designed to examine the participation motives of adults who participated in the 1987 Northern California Senior Olympics. Also explored was whether motives differed between sports and sex. One hundred forty-six athletes, ranging in age from 50 to 89 years, completed a modified version of the Gill, Gross, and Huddleston (1983) Participation Motivation Inventory, which assessed 30 objectives for participation. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, and a discriminant analysis were used to analyze the results. The results indicate that physical fitness and fun are the primary reasons for older adults to participate in sports. Motives also varied depending on the sport and the sex of the participants. The responses of men and women were similar; however, men placed more importance on several of the factors.