More on Sports…. And Some Interesting Statistics

Kevin M. Thompson. Activity Participation and Delinquency and Substance Use: Another Look. The North Dakota Journal of Human Services, 1999.

People believe or would like to believe that the boys and girls who participate in sports learn certain positive character traits. There is evidence to suggest that as a result of participation, they have:

- better attendance in school

- better grades in school

- better behavior in school

- less trouble and fewer discipline problems in school

- better citizenship in school and community

- an upward mobility orientation (e.g., go to college)

Sports, Girls, and Some Statistics

To further expand on these positive aspects of sport, the following information about girls and sport was presented in a recent news release. It was reported that:

- Girls who participate in sports get better grades and are more likely to

graduate.

- Girls who play sports are less likely to get pregnant at an early age.

- Girls who participate in sports are less likely to use drugs or to stay in

an abusive relationship.

- Girls who participate in sports experience greater self-esteem, increased self-confidence and a more positive body image.

- If a girl does not participate in sports by the time she is 10 years old,

there is only a 10 percent chance she will be participating later in life.

- Women who participate in sports four or more times per week, decrease their chance of breast cancer by 60 percent.

- 80 percent of female Fortune 500 company executives participated in sports.

Four Main Reasons for Sports

There are at least four reasons why sport can influence behavior in a positive direction.

First, sport occupies the time that youngsters might use for other activities. As a rule, sport leaders then to be positive influences on the kids, but that is not always the case.

Second, sport is used as a positive lever by coaches and parents. That is, the players must conform to certain rules in school and at home to maintain their school eligibility or parental permission. This tends to keep them on track.

Third, school players may have greater opportunities to seek tutoring that may not be of much immediate value to other students. Players may also have other support groups in place to keep them headed in the right direction.

Finally, coaches and parents generally are interested in encouraging and otherwise pushing players to strive for the next higher level of play. In the highly visible sport market, that usually means do well in school and then go on to college. In this regard, players can become the focal point of attention based totally on their sports ability.