Odine Favour JOEL

This study investigated the influence of social media on sports participation among student athletes of the University of Benin. Specifically, it examined the relationship between social media use and sports participation, gender, age, and level of study on the student athlete. A correlation research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised of 254 registered student athletes of the University of Benin during the 2024/2025 academic session, and the entire population was used as the sample. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled “Social Media and Sports Participation among Student Athletes of the University of Benin.” The instrument was validated by experts in Human Kinetics and a reliability of .719 was obtained. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there was no significant relationship between social media use and sports participation among student athletes of the University of Benin. Furthermore, social media use did not significantly influence sports participation based on gender, age, or level of study. It was therefore concluded that social media use does not significantly affect sports participation among student athletes at the University of Benin. It was recommended, among others, that student athletes should maintain a balanced use of social media to avoid distractions and continue active participation in sports.