ObjectiveThere have been no large studies of middle school students to assess the association between team sports participation and risk-taking behaviors, despite evidence in high school and collegiate athletes. Our study evaluated whether team sports participation is associated with specific risk-taking behaviors among a biracial middle school population.DesignA cross-sectional survey using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Middle School Questionnaire.SettingTwenty-two public middle schools in three rural counties in eastern North Carolina.Participants4,346 middle school students in grades 6–8 completed the survey. All students participated if present in school the day the survey was administered. 648 students fulfilled specific exclusion criteria.Main Outcome MeasureMultiple logistic regression examined team sports participation as a predictor of 17 risk-taking behaviors while controlling for gender, race, and grade.ResultsOf the 3,698 students, 49% were male, 49.5% Caucasian, and 52.5% were involved in team sports. Sports participants, as compared with non–sports participants, reported significantly higher frequencies for carrying a gun (p < 0.001), carrying a weapon (p < 0.001), being in a physical fight (p < 0.001), current use of alcohol (p = 0.001), and experimentation with cigarettes and chewing tobacco (p < 0.001). In the multiple logistic regression analysis team sports participation was associated with the following behaviors: carrying a weapon (odds ratio 1.25, 95% confidence intervals 1.0731–1.4540), physical fight (1.15, 1.0017–1.3253), current alcohol use (1.24, 1.0560–1.4611), and experimentation with cigarettes (1.26, 1.0991–1.4502), cocaine (1.37, 1.0300–1.8139) and inhalants (1.20, 1.0141–1.4130).ConclusionsAmong a biracial middle school population, sports participants were more likely to demonstrate certain risk-taking behaviors when compared with non–sports participants. Further research is necessary to understand the relationships between risk-taking behaviors and team sports participation.