This study investigates the impact, both proximal and distal, of inter-scholastic sports participation on the academic experiences of Latino male high school students. I utilize the notion of imbrication and a nested ecological framework to interrogate these larger constructs to illuminate differences and commonalities that exist amongst and between Latinos, the type of sport played, and three forms of engagement (cognitive, behavioral, and emotional).

"Do sports impede mobility or do sports enhance mobility?" is a fundamental question in education and interscholastic athletics research. Using the ELS:2002 survey data from 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2012, I conducted a series of statistical analyses to explore the following relationships: 1. between specific U.S. Latino population demographics to sports participation, and academic engagement/achievement/attainment; 2. between participation in high school sport, generally, and academic engagement; 3. between the type of sport played on academic engagement; 4. to test if academic engagement is a mediator between continued sports participation and educational achievement/attainment.

The regression results consistently show that those who participate in athletic activities have higher grades and greater rates of high school/college degree attainment. The relationship between sports participation and academic engagement was either neutral or negative, particularly as it pertained to behavioral engagement. The outcomes imply that institutional practices created to boost athletic participation are unlikely to produce positive effects on engagement unless there are intentional efforts by school officials to create athletic environments that are conducive to academic endeavors.