Participation in Sports Benefits Girls in the Longrun

2010 February 24
by Grace Boyle

I love sports. I’m competitive and feel alive when I’m active. Growing up, I probably dabbled in every activity possible from kinder-gym (gymnastics), track, snowboarding, yoga, backpacking/hiking and very seriously: horseback riding and basketball.

My mom was voted most athletic in high school but she says that’s just because she was the lead cheerleader and actually played tennis, the one sport offered to women “back then.” Apparently, she wasn’t excited as I was when I found out her award. Pshh.

I still draw inspiration and ideas from the things I learned on my yoga mat, with my championship-winning basketball team and coach that I still visit with today, my horse and hours of tireless training or finally, the leadership and inner strength you gain from challenging yourself physically, period.

My horse and I, Keep The Wind

A new study from two economists shows that besides better grades, lowering the rate of teen pregnancy and self-esteem, sports actually “offer some answers, providing the strongest evidence yet that team sports can result in lifelong improvements to educational, work and health prospects.”

Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, found “that increasing girls’ sports participation had a direct effect on women’s education and employment.” This very line in the study is why I chose to blog about it. This portrays a powerful impact and we’re not just talking about sports improving your general life at the time, it affects you for the future.

Furthermore, Dr. Stevenson says, “It’s not just that the people who are going to do well in life play sports, but that sports help people do better in life,” she said, adding, “While I only show this for girls, it’s reasonable to believe it’s true for boys as well.”

I myself am a photographer, deeply invested in the arts, theater and music (I played piano) which is why I think sports aren’t for everyone. I’m not preaching sports (these studies are, but hey, it’s just science). I’m preaching being active (in some way). Our bodies need to move – it’s enlivening and healthy.

How do you choose to be active? What were you involved in growing up and how did it affect you?

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from → Gender, Health and Science

  • SRL
    I've been riding horses for 5 years now, and it's the best feeling in the world! It's really built up my confidence and I'm learning so much through my experiences with horses. I love music, too, and play in my school band. I agree with Dr. Betsey Stevenson when she said there's a relationship bewteen team sports and educational improvements. I'vev been in gifted classes ever since I started riding. Riding horses has made a huge impact on my life.
  • @SRL Thanks for sharing your story. Riding horses is very powerful and it taught me about leadership, trust, strength and of course learning to work as a team.
  • jgg1313
    what sports should i do? i want to do 2 sports but i love swimming,soccer, and running! what should i pick because i cant do all 3 its to much for me. im only 13.
  • jgg1313
    i think asking you people i can get help.
  • Victoria
    What a great pic:)
    I use to ride I miss it so much:(
  • @Victoria Aw, me too! Thanks :)
  • LostInCheeseland
    My 7 years of soccer combined with over 10 years of dance really shaped who I was as an adolescent. I am so thankful that my parents got me involved in other activities as a kid, aside from piano lessons. Even though I didn't continue team sports in high school, I am certain that part of my personality was shaped by the sports I played as a youngster! In France, girls don't really play soccer so when French people find out I played soccer, they think I played with the boys!
  • @Lindsey Ha, that is funny to compare the cultural differences. It's so good to hear how it has shaped us for the future. Thanks for sharing :)
  • andreavlewis
    I use to be a gymrat in my 20s, now in my 30s I absolutely hate it! I think my activity level today is a direct result of burn out from the athletic intensity of my youth. I was a competitive gymnast from 4 out of the 10 years I studied it. Then in High School, I leveraged my athleticism in gymnastics by playing varsity volleyball and softball. Now, I prefer my exercise to be less competitive and more enlightening. I love, love, love doing bikram yoga and taking long walks on sunny days.
  • @Andrea I love hearing your story as you have grown and changed from adolescent years. I too, love yoga (and even Bikram's). It's so important to keep doing these things for our body. It's a temple :) Thanks for sharing!
  • EllenNordahl
    Your picture made me want to get back on a horse, and I haven't ridden in ages. I was involved in a little bit of everything growing up: soccer, basketball (only through elementary school), volleyball, softball, swimming and hockey. Unfortunately, I gave them all up once I got into high school. I grew up in a small town, and if you weren't part of the "right clique" of athletic girls, you spent a lot of time on the bench, regardless of your athletic ability. My gym teacher told me I was the "biggest waste of athletic talent he'd ever seen." That aside, had I stuck with sports throughout high school, I probably would have given my mom a lot less gray hair than I did.

    Sports are a great outlet - but I do think that they often garner a lot more attention as having a positive impact on kids' lives than non-athletic extracurriculars. It would be interesting to see if young women who are involved in the arts (band, choir, theater, etc.) build some of the same team work and leadership skills.

    Now I snowboard (though snowboarding in the midwest is laughable), do pilates and am going to try to get back into swimming. When you find a sport that enables you to just let go of everything else and be in the moment (like swimming does for me), the impact on your emotional well-being alone is incredible.
  • @Ellen I'm sorry to hear that your gym teacher was so inappropriate and demeaning to you - that makes me mad!

    You're right and I expected there to be more from people who weren't involved in sports just talking about how the arts and theater (examples) don't get as much recognition as they should. This is why I talked about how much I love music, theater and photography. Sports just seems to override because the team and leadership that is involved, is very specific. I love the way you can find yourself through whatever activity you're doing and if it works for you, do not stop :) Thanks for sharing!
  • This is an interesting post because I have always been aware of how sports changed and molded me for the better growing up. Myself, like you, dabbled in a lot of things, my best and most competitive was basketball and riding (Western though!) really taught me self discipline as well as the ins and outs of working with teams. I think that the sport helps the girl understand her strengths and weaknesses and if she's paying enough attention, it can help that translate into her overall character. Such as, I know I'm a good team player and have always had to have an integral part in the success of my team, but I realized I didn't have that competitive nature to quite make me a dominant leader. But very good post....liked the insight.
  • @Alexandria I also rode Western and taught at camps, but primarily competed in Three Day Eventing! It's funny the things we're involved in through adolescence that can affect us after in our adult years. Thank you for sharing!
  • adrienneh
    I agree that being active in any form is important but it seems that that study is specifically saying that the teamwork is a big part of the "improving one's life"-ness. It's an interesting study, I'll have to take a look :)
  • @Adrienneh Teamwork most likely is an important part of the study but through the New York Times article I found a lot of general talk about just being in a sport period and the outcome. You bring up a good point and I will go back to re-read it :)
  • I think you only got half of the great overall message. I don't think it's just the enlivening, healthifying aspect of physical activity that is important. It's not just the individual discipline it requires to slowly practice and get better at something that directly translates to a variety of life skills. It is also the social aspect of sports that children learn and directly apply to being a successful adult. It's teamwork. Developing leadership and followership skills. Learning when to speak up and when to keep quiet, both for the benefit of the team. Learning how to focus on your role and depending on the success of others doing their job successfully for greater collective success than each individual is capable alone. The article specifically discusses team sports and I would love to hear other share stories of skills learned in team sports that translate to adult success.
  • Of the three sports I played in high school, one I was one of the better players and a captain, another I was not good and just part of the team, and the third I was a captain even though a younger player was better than me. These three experiences helped me learn that there is not necessarily a correlation between leadership and ability, which is actually very common in the working world. Managers may not know more than those they are managing, but that's not their job. Their job is to get the most out of their team. They don't necessarily have to lead by example (there are many different leadership techniques) for the group as a whole to be successful.
  • @Aaron You bring up some EXCELLENT points. I really like what you have to say about teamwork and how management works. Undoubtedly, besides horseback riding, I was always involved in team sports and those were so rewarding because learning to work with people while mentally and physically challenging yourself is the ultimate test. In the New York Times article I cited, I didn't see them only speak of teamwork and I wanted to emphasize that although sports are so important, there are other ways to physically involve yourself and potentially, be on a team let's say, like in a play or in a ballet.

    Thanks so much for sharing!
  • I love the picture of you on the horse since I also recently discovered how tough and fun horseback riding is. I'm not active in sports currently aside from the gym but would really like to get into maybe ice skating and join a running group. Growing up, sports were as important to me as they were to you as my parents pushed me into ice skating, karate, and softball. I resisted at the time but now I realize how much they've brought to my life.
  • @Vicki Oh, thank you! It is challenging, isn't it? I love it so much. It's always interesting to see what sports we find an interest in, the ones we stick with, the ones we participate in after our youth. Thanks for sharing, Vicki and good luck with jumping into ice skating :)
  • Interesting! When I was in my teens I boxed (not competitively) but I loved it! Now I'm running half marathons and training for a full marathon! It has helped me with my confidence and that is helpful for anything in life. :)
  • @Stacy Good for you! I love hearing everyone's stories. Thank you for sharing :)
  • I was just having this discussion last night with some people. Being a kid is rough, and it's so important to give them the opportunity to be active and find their niche, whether it's sports or the arts. It builds their confidence and keeps them out of trouble. Great post!
  • @Jen Agreed! Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
  • Regardless of your physical ability the participation in sports benefits overall development in several ways. This is one of the reasons that Alexander Dawson School in Lafayette requires that every student participate in two sports annually during their high school years.
  • @Mike That is so interesting! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. Is there a backlash from parents (because it's required) or in general, is it positively received?
  • It can be a bit tedious to play two sports (essentially 7 months of the school year) when you are loaded with AP courses, however, the generally parents support it.
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