Serena Williams. Kelsey Robinson. Diana Taurasi. Among the three of them there’s a No. 1 ranking, a Volleyball World Championship and 3 Olympic Gold Medals in basketball. Yes, these three are unique in their own right and have done wonderful things in their respective areas. However, one thing unifies them all: they, along with thousands of other young girls and women, are testaments to the empowerment that sports can bring to females in a world that does not always recognize them for being significant contributors to society.
Most people know it is not easy being a woman. The patriarchal tendencies of society attempt to keep girls down and out. They make them feel as if they will never be enough and constantly remind them of their limitations. Every time they turn on a TV or try something that may be “meant” for boys, females are forced to take a step back in the grand scheme of things. Sadly, a lot of young girls out there internalize that and begin to tell themselves these harsh standards cannot be overcome. Luckily, we witness the strong females in history who encouraged girls to break down these barriers, crash through the metaphorical glass ceiling and do anything, sometimes more, than boys can do.
Enter: sports. Females, especially at a young age, are often pushed to play sports. There’s nothing like little league to keep little Theresa busy and help her come out of her shell. Hopefully, she’ll even make some friends in the process. Nonetheless, according to a Huffington Post article, girls drop out of sports twice as often as boys because of factors such as social stigma and lack of positive role models.
Theresa might truly love playing soccer. The problems are if she is constantly told it’s a “boys” sport and is never properly supported, she’s not going to have a desire to play anymore. Girls in lower income communities have it even worse. According to a study done by Sabo and Veliz in 2008, 1 in 4 9th-grade to 12th-grade girls who live in urban areas have never participated in organized or team sports. This is in comparison to 1 in 6 boys who live in urban areas.
None of this is to say all is lost. According to research done by the Women’s Sports Foundation, 69 percent of girls from the ages of 8 to 17 take part in some type of organized sport (READ: IT’S LIT). This is really good news because sports do amazing things for young girls. Things that they will use for the rest of their lives.
I got the chance to speak with one of the volleyball players here at Berry College, Katie O’Rourke. She told me that playing volleyball (which she has impressively played all 4 years in college) has given her confidence, strength, mental toughness along with leadership and teamwork skills. O’Rourke went on to say, “I have learned how strong, mentally and physically, I am. I never knew I could push myself to the limits I did during those 4 seasons. A lot of work is done during the spring and summer- that no one ever sees- and I think those are the moments that made me the strongest.”
Sophomore basketball player Imani Smith echoes these feelings, really enjoying the team aspect of her sport. “They are like a family, and they are always there for you,” she says.
Various studies done and numbers gathered support what O’Rourke and Smith had to say. EY Women Athletics Business Network and espnW conducted a study about the connection between women, sports, and leadership. Seventy-four percent of the 400 responders felt that girls who play sports accelerate in their career more. Sixty-six percent said that, due to their work ethic and ability to work as team players, girls who play sports make excellent candidates for a variety of jobs.
ALAS. THERE IS MORE GREAT NEWS.
A lot of people see this problem and are doing what they can in order to help. The organization Girls in the Game helps girls between the ages of 6 and 18 from lower socioeconomic communities in Chicago by getting them involved in several different sports and focusing on fitness and nutrition.
Sporty Girls Inc. gathers girls in the Atlanta area and encourages them to take part in nontraditional sports.
Girls Athletics and Life Skills implements a curriculum that encourages girls to use the skills they’ve learned from their sport in their everyday life in order to solve everyday problems and to improve their communication.
Programs like these are the initiative and desire to help that we need for girls. If you yourself want to get involved, contact your local YMCA or public schools. See if they are in need of extra coaches for their sports teams or programs. Volunteer and get involved.
You could be the one person that lets a little girl know that she can do anything a boy can do, even better. You would be helping these girls develop their teamwork and leadership skills, confidence in who they are and their place in the world. Spark a fire to always achieve what people tell them they can’t.
“We have to fight the entire time, we can’t start at the end when it’s getting down to crunch time. We can’t leave anything on the floor.” – Kerri Walsh, Volleyball Gold Medalist.