Mid Sweden University

Introduction: Most crime occurs in adolescence, a period in which procriminal attitudes are most prevalent. Previous research has shown that procreational activites such as sports may reduce delinquency by e.g. improving the social functioning of youth. In some cases however, sports has been shown to promote procriminal attitudes. In order to shed some light on this inconsistency, the objective of this paper was to analyze the impact of sports engagement on the attitudes toward delinquency in male youth from a youth perspective, and to analyze the role of sports engagement in light of Travis Hirschi's social bond theory. Method: Using a qualitative study design, eight subjects aged 16 to 22 – of which five had procriminal attitudes in the past – were interviewed with semi-structured interviewing. Inductive and deductive content analyses were applied. Results: Five subjects experienced a decrease in procriminal attitudes following sports participation, while three subjects experienced no change. The common themes of engagement, interpersonal relationships and the identity of an athlete were identified as mechanisms behind this decrease. Furthermore, sports participation was found to play an important role in the context of Hirschi's social bond theory. Discussion: The findings of this paper are largely in accordance with previous research indicating sports participation as a preventative measure against delinquency. The identified mechanisms decreasing procriminal attitudes carried some similarities to the elements of the social bond theory. Moreover, the social bond theory can be used to explain why, in three subjects, no change in attitudes was evident. The findings overall implicate further research in this area in order to develop and improve sports initiatives for crime desistance in youth.