Name:
A Girl’s Look into Sports
North Carolina State University

Self-esteem is defined as the confidence and satisfaction in oneself. One of the key elements in a girl’s adolescence is the proper development of self-esteem. Adequate self-esteem is a major component in the proper development of teenagers, especially females during the adolescent years. Without a good measure of self-esteem, young girls may grow up lacking basic skills needed to succeed in life; athletic involvement beginning at a young age is a good way to begin developing necessary social skills that will lead to greater self-esteem later in life. Although participation in sports can have a negative effect on teenage girls, the positive impact the sport has on them greatly outweighs the negative. Research has found that the most common negative effect of athletics on females is over training. Over training occurs when the body is pushed beyond its limits both physically and emotionally. The more females participate in sports, the higher the risk she has of obtaining a sports-related injury (Sabo, 1997, p. 38). The more competitive the sport is, the more training is needed in order to be successful, and this training can become risky to girls’ bodies. Girls tend to over-train under pressure, which in turn, leads to unnecessary injuries. Some of the most common injuries girls sustain due to overuse are stress fractures, kneecap disorders, and compartment syndromes (Storm & Jenkins, 2002, p. 164). According to Go Girl! Raising Healthy, Confident and Successful Girls Through Sports, a book written by Hannah Storm about girls participation in sports, “Stress fractures are a series of tiny cracks that don’t heal because of the frequency or intensity of an athlete’s training schedule, kneecap disorders are aching pains caused by the kneecaps being pulled out of alignment by muscle-tendon imbalances, and compartment syndromes are swelling of the muscles inside their membraneous casings” (Storm & Jenkins, 2002, p. 164). All of the injuries mentioned above are considered minor, and will fully heal over a short period of time. Pressure from coaches or parents could greatly interfere with the healing process of these minor injuries. This pressure causes the athlete to feel as though she needs to get back in the game, so she does not take time out to let the injury properly heal and thus makes the injury worse, which could lead to more time sitting out. Also, overtraining, and the injuries that result from it, are not something that solely occur because a girl participates in a sport; over training and the following injuries are caused mainly from constant pressure of the athlete’s coach or parents, therefore the occurrence of both overtraining and possible injuries is easily preventable. Although overtraining may present a negative effect of athletics on females, the benefits of females participating in sports greatly outnumber the disadvantages.
One of the positive effects of sports is that they play a key factor in the discipline of an adolescent athlete. According to an online journal article, “Athletes were more likely than non-athletes to graduate from high school (3x more)” (Schultz, 1999), as well as have higher grades (Sabo, 1997, p. 77.) Taking part in some kind of physical activity can help improve learning, memory, and concentration, which can give active girls an advantage when it comes to their education. Given the statistics that show higher graduation rates and high GPAs, female athletes are shown to be more successful than non-athletes therefore giving them a greater sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Also, research has shown that girls who partake in sports have higher SAT scores and fewer disciplinary problems (Storm & Jenkins, 2002, p. 4). Having less disciplinary problems means the athlete can play in her respective sport as well, because athletes that do have disciplinary problems cannot participate in school athletics. Not constantly being criticized or pressured by their parents to do well raises the chance of them feeling more worthy. Having better discipline, which leads to improved performance in school is just one of the many positive impacts of sports.
Furthermore, participating in athletics teaches a girl to be independent. She learns to trust and rely on herself without becoming dependent on a relationship to define her. According to researchers, “The more days adolescent females exercised per week, the more likely they were to postpone their first experience with sexual intercourse,” and they were eighty percent less likely to become pregnant (Sabo, 1997, p. 27; Schultz, 1999). When girls are involved in a sport, they spend most of their time committed to their team, and do not have time to devote to a relationship, therefore decreasing the possibilities for both intercourse and pregnancy. Female athletes realize sexual intercourse is not necessary to enhance their self-esteem and can postpone intercourse until they are absolutely ready; this in turn also greatly decreases the chance of teen pregnancy. A young girl is not ready, both physically and emotionally, for the responsibility of motherhood. Sports can prevent this mistake from happening by providing support from teammates to help discourage other girls from getting involved in a bad relationship, and help their teammates realize that they do not need someone else to make them happy or to define them. Realizing they do not need someone else to define them can also help them to respect themselves.
When a girl respects herself, she is going to be more careful about what she puts in her body. Being active in some kind of sport helps to motivate teenage girls to appreciate and feel good about their bodies. Girls who participate in a sport are ninety-two percent less likely to experiment with drugs (Schultz, 1999). The random drug tests that athletes face greatly dissuades athletes from experimenting with drugs for the fear of getting caught and kicked off the team. For most athletes, the risk of losing the chance to play the sport they love means more to them than experimenting with drugs. Also, for girls, the transition from middle school to high school is a vital time in their lives. This is the period in their lives when they begin to discover who they are and what they enjoy. They may get involved with the wrong crowd and be influenced to experiment with drugs. Having close teammates who are experiencing the same transition can give the girl a strong system of support. A girl’s teammates can help encourage her to stay focused on the sport and help guide her to make good life decisions. Teammates are an important part of being a team; they are there to support each other at all times. It is safe to say that participating in sports can eventually lead an athlete down the right path, and make new friends.
When girls are involved in a sport they start to make new friends and form instant bonds. They become introduced to a diverse group of other athletes, and therefore have a good chance of making many friends (Storm & Jenkins, 2002, p. 45). Girls feel good about themselves when they have a group of friends who share the same interests. Female high school athletes have been shown to see themselves as being more popular than those students who did not participate in a sport (Sabo, 1997, p. 75). Taking part in athletics at school poses the girl as a representation of her school and this responsibility gives her a chance to be seen and envied by the whole school. Female athletes get to know a wide variety of students who come out and support them at games, which can then lead to promising friendships. When other girls notice that many of their friends are becoming involved in a physical activity and are having fun, they will become more interested in participating in one as well (Sabo, 1997, p. 21). They see all the positive attention they are getting and new friends they are making, and that creates sudden interest. Once they feel that they are included in an athletic team, they are more likely to become optimistic, which is beneficial not only in the present, but later in life as well (Storm & Jenkins, 2002, p. 4). Practicing with coaches and teammates to win games makes them a team player, which helps to prepare them for success later in life.
In addition to making new friends, sports are also a good way for girls to adjust to a new environment. Elizabeth Upton, a physical education teacher and high school girls’ tennis coach, gave a prime example of sports helping a girl to adjust. She witnessed a female junior in high school who played tennis and was transferring from a private school to a public school, and began to become involved with the wrong crowd. The girl was reluctant to play tennis, but Upton eventually talked her into it. Joining a team and becoming involved in a sport helped the girl begin to feel good about herself again and get back on the right track (E. Upton, personal communication, September 27, 2010). This example demonstrates how a sport can enhance a girls’ self-respect and can help them make good life decisions. Coaches can help players to do well and teach them to respect themselves. Athletes also want to be able to show their teammates that they can be a reliable and respectable person, and by doing so they too start to believe that they contain those traits.
Athletics have also been shown to boost self-image, and girls who feel good about their bodies tend to feel better about their self. Girls who are involved with sports tend to have a more positive body image, turn out to be more trustworthy of their peers, and possess a higher self-esteem (Harmel, 1998). Taking part in physical activity will help a girl not only become fit, which will make her have a better feeling towards her body image, but a girl who feels good about her body automatically starts to have a higher sense of self-esteem. Being active also teaches the adolescent to become comfortable in her own skin and embrace the strength she gains (Schultz, 1999), “because girls who view their bodies as useful and powerful are less likely to abuse their bodies” (Storm & Jenkins, 2002, p. 54). Since sports teach a girl that her body is indeed useful, she will realize it is a good idea to take care of her body. Athletics motivates girls to eat better and stay in shape because doing so develops both an emotional and physical strength through constantly being active; this is especially important during the adolescent phase of a girl’s life (E. Upton, personal communication, September 27, 2010). Another positive impact of sports on teenage girls is lowering the rate of depression. Depression is a major issue that girls, especially adolescent girls, face. Girls that experience low self-esteem tend to be more depressed, suicidal, and less concerned of what they do to their bodies (Schultz, 1999). Exercise can directly counteract the symptoms of depression, so therefore being in a sport greatly lowers the rate of depression and anxiety that a young girl may experience (Storm & Jenkins, 2002, p. 55; Sabo, 1997, p. 23). For example, exercise is a natural mood lifter because it causes the body to release endorphins, which are chemicals that can trigger a positive feeling psychologically, so it improves a person’s state of mind (Chakraburtty, 2010). When a girl is in a better mood she starts to feel better about herself, which can then jumpstart the end to depression. Girls who participate in some kind of physical activity have more energy, tire less easily, and are able to cope with stress better (Sabo, 1997, p. 77). All of these results have a positive effect on the way a girl feels about herself because having more energy will put her in a better mood, and through partaking in physical activity she can relieve stress. In addition to having a positive impact on girls’ self-esteem both socially and emotionally, sports also have a huge impact physically. Physical inactivity is a rising issue in young people. It is leading to obesity and the social-pressure of young girls (Sabo, 1997, p. 23). In today’s society, more than two times the number of children in America are overweight compared to those in the 1960s (Storm & Jenkins, 2002, p. 2). Physical activity can greatly lower this number by helping girls become fit and healthy. If a girl is inactive and overweight, while her friends are fit and active, this will lower her self-esteem greatly. In addition, being overweight at a young age will have a significant effect on her health later in life (E. Upton, personal communication, September 27, 2010). Girls are constantly trying to fit in, and being overweight and out of shape, while all of her friends are physically active will make the girl feel as if she is not included. Likewise, an unhealthy, overweight girl will live a shorter life than someone who is at a healthy weight and active. Girls who are physically active during adolescence have less of a risk of developing diabetes and asthma, and are less likely to acquire serious conditions like heart disease and certain cancers (Sabo, 1997, p. 23). Exercising at least four hours a week can lower a girls chance of getting breast cancer by 60% (Sabo, 2004). Knowing that being fit bodes well for someone’s health is a key factor in self-esteem because having less of a risk of developing serious conditions will provide her with a better mindset, which can lead to higher confidence. Athletics provide leadership roles and opportunities to develop team-building skills that will be necessary later in life when working with others. They are able to cooperate with others more easily and tend to be more involved in community matters (Schultz, 1999). These roles are a helpful preparation for future roles because girls will learn how to work with others and solve problems. Through athletics, girls learn that there is more to the game than simply wining, but also about discovering who they are and their core set of values. Sports teach girls to have sympathy for others on the opposing team when her team does win, but it also prevents her from becoming arrogant because she will experience losing as well. Sports can also inspire athletes to take more risks and achieve more goals that they set out for themselves (Sabo, 1997, p. 20; Harmel, 1998). Participating in a team sport is a risk in itself because everyone relies on you at some point in the game, so from participation the athlete learns how to deal with different risks that will be thrown her way throughout life. Being successful in sports provides more confidence and encourages a girl to set more goals for her self, which she becomes committed to accomplish, and in turn becomes more of a leader. When a girl participates in athletics, there is bound to be a negative effect, but overall the effects are obviously more positive. The mental health and well being of a girl is positively influenced when she participates in some kind of sport or physical activity. Sports teach her how to be a team player and a leader, while also forming bonds. In order to live a better and more successful life, girls should all participate in some sort of physical activity. Even though there has been a great deal of research conducted on this topic, there is always room for more research that can be done to prove that sports have more of a positive impact on girls than a negative one.

Works Cited
Chakraburtty, MD, A. (2010, March 1). Exercise and depression. Retrieved from WebMD website: http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression
Harmel, K. (1998, November 18). Uf researcher: Participating in sports gives girls strong self- images. University Of Florida News. Retrieved from http://news.ufl.edu/
Sabo, D. (1997). Physical activity & sport in the lives of girls: Physical and mental health dimensions from an interdisciplinary approach. Washington, D.C.: Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Retrieved from fitness.gov/girlssports.pdf
Sabo, D., Miller, K. E., Melnick, M. J., & Heywood, L. (2004, May). Her life depends on it: Sport, physical activity and the health and well-being of american girls. East Meadow, NY: Women’s Sports Foundation Retrieved from www.womenssportsfoundation.org/
Schultz, A. M. (1999). You go girl! the link between girls’ positive self-esteem and sports. United States Sports Academy: the Sport Journal, 2(2). doi:1543-9518
Storm, H., & Jenkins, M. (2002). Go girl! Raising healthy, confident and successful girls through sports. Illinois: Sourcebooks Inc..