A study on the sports behavior and motivation of young baseball players

Introduction: This study aims to investigate the relationship between participation motivation and exercise behavior among adolescent leisure baseball enthusiasts. Methods: A questionnaire survey was used to collect data, resulting in 919 valid questionnaires, including 484 males and 435 females. Results: Results revealed significant gender differences in psychological motivation, enjoyment motivation, and exercise behavior among recreational baseball enthusiasts. Males outperformed females on all indicators, indicating a higher level of engagement and willingness to participate in baseball. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between exercise behavior and life motivation, psychological motivation, and enjoyment motivation, indicating that higher motivation levels were associated with higher frequency and persistence in actual exercise participation. Further regression analysis revealed that exercise behavior was significantly influenced by life motivation and enjoyment motivation, suggesting that viewing exercise as an important part of life and deriving pleasure and a sense of accomplishment from it can contribute to baseball participation. Conclusion: Overall, these findings suggest that motivation plays a key role in recreational baseball participation, providing valuable insights for promotional activities and sports education.