Why Girl’s Sports are Important in Schools

When looking at the sports in our school, I have recently realized that girl's sports get less recognition and less participation than boys' sports. The middle school girl's soccer and softball teams no longer exist because of a lack of interest. My sports experiences taught me that they help grow friendships and confidence. These skills are important for everyone growing up, especially girls who experience more difficulties because of the patriarchal

expectations for girls to make themselves smaller. Studies have proved that girls who play sports gain a higher level of self-esteem and have a stronger psychological well-being along with all of the physical benefits associated with exercise. Sports help teach leadership and problem-solving. Sports in the past were limited to boys, making it easier for people to say that girls just aren’t made to be leaders, rather than looking at the opportunities that gave boys the skills needed for success in the workforce.

With these benefits, it’s interesting to think about why girls so often don’t want to participate in sports. Many people have claimed that it is just because girls don’t care as much about sports, however, studies have shown that girls between the ages of six and nine show the same level of interest in sports as boys. It’s at the age of around fourteen that this tends to change. Girls are six times more likely to quit playing sports by fourteen than boys. This is because of the lack of reinforcement girls receive compared to boys. From the age of two boys receive sports equipment and are encouraged to their hardships to keep playing. They get to see people who look like them on the TVs and in stadiums playing sports, all while sports are seen as a rarity for girls. Though there isn’t an active push for girls to not play sports, there just isn’t the same level of encouragement. Schools have to foster an environment where girls feel encouraged to join sports and aren’t excluded from participation. Often girls don’t get the same opportunities to fail and learn from their mistakes when it comes to sports. ‘If she isn’t good immediately then she just doesn’t like sports’ is an excuse that will rarely be used on a boy. In the past years, there has been a vast improvement in the exposure and acceptance of women’s sports, but there is still a lot to be done. There needs to be the same encouragement from a young age for girls regarding sports as for boys. Sports once a person learns to play them are far more often than not a fun experience that everyone deserves to experience, not just boys.

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Citation

“Benefits - Why Sports Participation for Girls and Women.” Women’s Sports

Foundation, 31 Oct. 2023,

www.womenssportsfoundation.org/advocacy/benefitssports-participation-girls

women/.