When sport fails to educate. Dysfunctional dynamics and early dropout among Italian adolescents

Abstract

Basic physical activity and youth sport are often rhetorically portrayed as “schools of life,” inherently positive tools for psychophysical well-being and socialization. However, empirical evidence suggests that sport is a “neutral container”: its educational effectiveness depends on the quality of adult mediation. In dysfunctional contexts –characterized by pedagogical illiteracy, domineering attitudes, and performance-oriented pressure – sport can become an emotional risk factor, significantly contributing to the phenomenon of dropout. This study, through a narrative review of the literature (2010–2025) and the analysis of recent data, focuses on the Italian context, where the rate of sport dropout among young people aged 13 to 18 approaches 50% (ISTAT, 2022; Ipsos, 2022). Evidence shows that it is not sport per se that fails, but the system surrounding it: performance pressure, parental over-involvement, and the lack of pedagogical competence among coaches generate stress, undermine intrinsic motivation, and foster disengagement. The analysis also highlights marked territorial disparities (with higher rates in Southern Italy) and gender differences. Theoretical references to Colella (2015, 2018a), Robazza (2019), Côté and Gilbert (2009), Deci and Ryan (2000), and Pekrun (2006) confirm that only by adopting intentional, person-centered, and process-oriented educational approaches is it possible to prevent dropout and restore sport to its authentic formative function.