Sports Save Lives? New Studies Find Girl Athletes Are More Successful

It's a chicken or the egg conundrum: are girls who play sports more likely to succeed, or are successful girls more likely to play sports? Now two studies suggest sports are the causal factor: girls who play sports are more likely to go to college, be employed, and grow up to be physically active, non-obese women.

In one study, Dr. Betsey Stevenson found that more girls playing sports leads to more women in college and more women in the workforce. Stevenson notes that while she examined the numbers for women, her conclusion that "sports help people do better in life" would apply to boys, too. So take that, "boy crisis" fiends.

In a different study, Dr. Robert Kaestner found that women who were given the chance to play sports as girls are less likely to be overweight or obese and more likely to be physically active than their sisters who were excluded from the soccer field.

It's ground breaking, right? Playing sports in school makes you a healthier adult. But in a way it is. While Kaestner found only a seven percent decrease in obesity, no other public health program can claim similar success. Let me repeat that: no other program has had similar success. I'm also a believer in hard data, and having the numbers to support the personal stories and statements will be useful the next time another school district decides to save money by eliminating softball.

Photo credit: Keith Miner