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What motivates clients to participate in sports and physical activity?

This is an excerpt from Human Resource Management in Sport and Recreation-4th Edition by Packianathan Chelladurai,Amy Chan Hyung Kim.

The psychological dynamics in client logics are best understood if one considers the client motive for participation in physical activity. Therefore, schemes have been developed to classify attitudes toward physical activity and motives for participation in sport. Regarding attitudes, for example, Schutz, Smoll, Carre, and Mosher (1985) carried out several studies to develop psychometrically sound instruments to measure seven dimensions of children’s attitudes toward physical activity. Regarding motives, Gill, Gross, and Huddleston (1983) identified eight factors of motivation for youth sport participation (see table 4.1). Although such classifications have focused on different aspects of sport and physical activity participation—for example, attitudes versus motives—they all relate to one’s reasons for participating in sport and physical activity.

The systems just discussed address the attitudes or motivations of youth sport participants. Another proposed system applies to all ages (Chelladurai 1992). This four-level classification addresses motives for participation in sport and physical activity and includes the following components:

• Pursuit of pleasure: People may participate in a physical activity because they enjoy the competition, the associated kinesthetic sensations, or both (as in the case of the two racquetball players mentioned earlier). They do not seek any other benefits outside of their participation itself. When clients are energized by such pleasure-seeking or “hedonistic” motives, sport and recreation managers can more easily motivate them and secure their compliance with the organization’s rules and regulations.
• Pursuit of skill: The desire to acquire physical skills is innate to the human species, and it may impel people to participate in physical activity. That is, individuals may focus on perfecting their skills through continued vigorous physical activity. Services aimed at helping clients fulfill this desire include organized physical activity classes, sport camps and clinics, and lessons from professionals. The participation of people of all ages in these efforts gives evidence of the pervasiveness of the desire to learn skills.
• Pursuit of excellence: The pursuit of excellence is broadly defined as the effort to win in a contest against a standard. The standard may be one’s own previous performance, someone else’s performance, or performance against an opponent. Within this general motivation, one may participate in a given form of physical activity to excel either in that same activity or in another activity. For example, a client who grimaces and struggles while lifting weights may be training to compete either in a regional weightlifting competition or in a track meet. The intention to prepare for such contests—that is, the motive of excellence—generates a willingness to comply with instructions and guidance from a coach or teacher. This willingness is seen, for example, in athletes who go through uncomfortable exercises while chanting the motto “no pain, no gain!”
• Pursuit of health and fitness: Some individuals participate in vigorous physical activity mainly for the health-related benefits, such as fitness, stress reduction, and longevity. The benefits of such participation are extrinsic to the activity itself; that is, they reside outside the specific physical activity and are derived after prolonged physical activity.

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