Why Keeping Girls in Sports Matters

Growing up playing sports, I never really thought about everything I was getting from them outside of actually playing. Practice was just part of my week. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve watched more and more girls stop playing the sports they once loved. There are plenty of reasons for this, from school getting busier to feeling like there isn’t a place for you anymore if you aren’t playing at a really competitive level. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, girls continue to face barriers that make it harder for them to stay involved in sports.

I think what gets lost in that conversation is everything a girl can leave behind when she stops playing. There’s the routine of going to practice, the friends you see there, the coach who knows you, and just having something outside of school that you care about. Those things are also part of why sports can connect to crime prevention. Research on youth violence points to supportive adults, positive friendships, and connection to school or community as protective factors. Sports happen to bring a lot of those things together in one place.

This doesn’t mean every girl needs to play a sport forever, or that sports alone will prevent someone from getting involved in crime. But I do think we should care about why girls are leaving and whether they have other places to find the same kind of support. Girls shouldn’t have to be future college athletes for us to see value in keeping them involved. Sometimes just having a place to go, people to see, and something that is yours is valuable on its own.

Sources:

Women’s Sports Foundation — The State of Girls & Women in Sports

CDC — About Violence Prevention