My oldest son almost dropped out of sport when he was 6 because of bad experiences he had in his first two youth sport seasons. Sadly, this is becoming more the rule than the exception, and intrinsic motivation plays a major role in this process. Intrinsic motivation (IM) is extremely important for youth sport athletes to help them get off on the right foot with sport and physical activity. If extrinsic motivators are emphasized too much, children may have negative youth sport experiences that sour them on sport and may even prompt them to become physically inactive.
How would you develop a specific youth sport (i.e., soccer, basketball, football or baseball/softball) to maximize the development of intrinsic motivation in all competitors? Answer the following 4 questions about how to maximize IM in the youth sport of your choice. Explain the rationale for your answers in detail because it is as important as your actual response.