It’s no secret that females benefit from participating in sports. Athletes learn dedication, respect for others and how to relax, concentrate under pressure, create and achieve objectives, accept responsibility and failure, and be gracious winners via participation in sports activities. Baseball and softball players on the field
Large-scale studies demonstrate that physical activity and sport can benefit American girls’ mental and emotional well-being.
Better physical health
The health benefits of playing sports for girls are numerous:
Improvements in self-perceived health In the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 2008 Go Out and Play research, more female athletes rated their health as “good” than non-athletes. In high school, three times more female athletes than non-athletes (20 percent and 6 percent, respectively) said their health was great, despite the fact that older females were less likely to do so.
A decrease in chronic diseases. Girl athletes had better immune systems and a lower chance of chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, and endometrial and colon cancers later in life.
Higher self-confidence. a 2008 research by the Women’s Sports Foundation found that girls are particularly pushed by mass media to create unrealistic ideal body images, which can lead to harmful eating patterns as well as personal unhappiness. Among females, there was a significant correlation between athletics and self-esteem, with those who participated in three or more sports a year scoring better on self-esteem.
Reduced risk of obesity. Before Title IX was passed in 1971, females aged 12 to 17 were more likely to participate in school athletics, which led to an increase of 24 percent in physical activity and a substantial drop in obesity rates. There are currently around 3/10 overweight kids aged 6-11, as well as 3/10 overweight kids aged 12-19. Weight gain and sedentary habits, according to health experts, are responsible for more than 400,000 fatalities each year in the United States, and the present generation of girls is at risk for serious health issues later on in life.Additionally, obese youngsters have a higher risk of bullying than their less obese classmates. Compared to non-athletes, girls who participate in sports had a lower BMI. 80% of high school females who played on three or more sports teams had a healthy BMI (body mass index), as opposed to 75% of moderately engaged players and 60% of non-athletes.
Healthier menstruation: Girls who play sports have lighter and more regular periods and experience less cramping and discomfort.
Better grades in school
Girls who participate in athletics perform better in school.
Are better at organizing, prioritizing, and allocating time. Playing sports boosts a girl’s time, energy, and devotion to education, as well as her desire to attend college.
Improve your math and science skills. A 1998 study discovered a strong and favorable relationship between a girl’s engagement in high school athletics and higher scientific scores.
Reduce the number of dropouts. According to a 2004 research, female students in grades eight through twelve who participate in athletics have a lower dropout rate. High school sports involvement reduces dropout rates for white girls in suburban and rural schools, as well as Latina athletes in rural schools.
Better social life/more community involvement
Girls who play sports are more socially well-adjusted than girls who don’t:
- Entry into an achievement-based social network: Sports provide girls a core of buddies, integrating them, as Sandra Hanson and Rebecca Kraus, researchers at Catholic University argue, into male -type “networks that are larger, less intimate and more based on achievement” which are different from the small, intense friendship groups based on building and maintaining relationship to which young girls are naturally drawn. This type of network may give female athletes an edge, Hanson and Kraus argue, in other areas of achievement as well.
- Greater popularity among peers. Like male athletes, today’s female athletes are more popular. Sports can gain girls entry into the often complex social hierarchies of high school. The Go Out and Play study found popularity gains associated with involvement in sports were particularly evident among elementary and middle school children.
- More community involvement as adults. A recent study of Canadians found young people who play organized sports are more likely to be involved in community acitivies as adults.
Better emotional/psychological health
Playing sports helps girls emotionally and psychologically:
- Higher self-esteem. Teenage girls generally experience a self-esteem crisis far more serious than boys. Girls playing sports have higher self-esteem and look to relationships with boys less to build self-esteem. They say that sports give them more confidence.
- Better self-image. Female athletes obsess less about their looks and whether they are attractive, although this is not always the case. High school girls find participation in sports a way to break gender stereotypes.
- More self-confidence. Teenage girls suffer from a lack of self-confidence far more than boys. Studies have consistently shown that girls who are physically active perceive their academic and athletic ability in a better light.
- Lower rates of depression and risk of suicide.Sports and physical activity are linked to decreased likelihood of symptoms related to stress and depression. Teenage girls who participate in sports are less likely to be suicidal than girls who do not participate in sports.
