Report shows clear benefits for girls who play sports

While the percentage of girls who play sports stays somewhat consistent as girls age, the strongest positive impacts of athletic participation are seen at the high school level

The Gazette - Nancy Justis, February 24, 2024

One of the special days in the month of February is National Girls and Women in Sport Day.

If you are a female or the parent of a female, you might find interesting the research reported by The Girls’ Index showing how participation in sports is related to personal, social, academic and relationship outcomes.

The complete report can be found at The Girls’ Index, a nonprofit committed to equipping girls with the knowledge and skills needed to lead healthy, independent, productive and violence-free lives.

Generally, the report states when girls on sports teams are contrasted with girls who do not participate, their responses vary in a positive direction on most items, that there are clear overall benefits girls enjoy as a result of playing in sports. While the percentage of girls who play sports stays somewhat consistent as girls age, the strongest positive impacts of athletic participation are seen at the high school level.

Here are the facts when it comes to girls and confidence

When compared to girls who do not play sports, female high school athletes are 14 percent more likely to believe they are smart enough for their dream career, 11 percent are more likely to say they are happy the way they are, and 16 percent are less likely to want to change their appearance.

Girls who play sports report higher levels of confidence at all ages, but in the 12th grade, athletes experience a substantial increase not observed in their peer group. Also, girls who play sports have higher opinions of their abilities and competencies, whereas 64 percent of those who don’t play sports are not good at math and science and 69 percent say they are not good at “lots of things.”

This is compared to 36 percent and 31 percent, respectively, of those girls who do play sports.

Here are the facts when it comes to girls regarding social media and technology

* Girls who report the highest levels of sadness and depression are 27 percent less likely to be on a sports team.

* Girls who spend the most time on social media are significantly less likely to be on a sports team and girls who spend the most time using social media are five times more likely to report that they are sad or depressed nearly every day.

Here are the facts related to friendships and relationships

* High school girls who play sports are significantly more likely to have supportive friends to talk about serious issues, to get along well with other girls, trust other girls and to have healthy ways to handle stressful situations.

Despite the additional hours it takes daily to participate in organized sports, 61 percent of high school girls playing sports have a GPA above 4.0. Twenty-one percent of girls who don’t play sports are less likely to enjoy coming to school.

The Index found that the percentage of girls who would describe themselves as confident declines nearly 25 percent throughout the middle school years. Talk to any female and they will support this, including myself and watching what other females have gone through during this time.

Helping girls build and maintain their confidence is “critical during the 5th-9th grade years as there are fewer changes in confidence levels during high school.”

Despite the inherent competitive nature of sports, female athletes are 11 percent less likely to believe most girls are in competition with one another and are more likely to get along with other girls.

Finally, female athletes had higher levels of endorsement of career and leadership indicators. They are 14 percent less likely to report difficulties speaking up or disagreeing with others out of fear of not being liked.

Nancy Justis is a former competitive swimmer and college sports information director. She is a partner with Justis Creative Communications and Outlier Creative Solutions and the founder of Iowa Youth Sports Initiative. Contact her at njustis@cfu.net.