Youth Sports Bypassing City Girls

Interesting article in this weekend's NYT about the disparity in school sports between girls and boys in cities - and compared to their suburban counterparts.  While it's no surprise to read about the urban-suburban gap, another troubling reality is that compared to "54 percent of boys and 50 percent of girls in the suburbs described themselves as “moderately involved” athletes. Urban areas revealed a much greater discrepancy. Only 36 percent of city girls in the survey described themselves as moderately involved athletes, compared with 56 percent of city boys." (my emphases)  Forgive the perceived hyperbole, but it's no surprise that more of these girls than boys will remain in poverty over their lifetimes.

I grew up in the suburbs and played sports through my junior year in high school, studied dance until I was 15, and was in the chorus through graduation.  Nonetheless, I'm not someone who pays a lot of attention to the stripping of funding for arts and recreation in our public schools.  But the gendered priorities in this article are really dismal:

"Coaches and organizers of youth sports in cities say that while many immigrant and lower-income parents see the benefit of sports for sons, they often lean on daughters to fill needs in their own hectic lives, like tending to siblings or cleaning the house."

and

Although boys in the city also have fewer opportunities in sports, other factors work in their favor. Lean athletic budgets leave a gap that is filled by a blend of volunteers and private groups that have traditionally served more boys than girls.

“The needs of boys just have always been, and to a large extent remain, the unspoken, often unrecognized priority,” Mr. Sabo, the professor, said.

Sigh.

I've written about my extended family's struggle with poverty.  I have a second cousin who is extremely bright and, more importantly, loves schools and is very self-directed.  Prior to her starting middle school this year, her mom, grandma, aunt and I approached her about trying to get into private school, figuring the resources and attention would be an exponential advantage for her.  She balked, wanting to stay with her friends, reasonably so, from her perspective.  Her mom and grandmother acquiesced and we resolved to approach her again for high school.

But the reason we moved on this in the 5th grade is because middle school, at the onset of puberty for kids, is such a tough time for them.  This is when many kids veer off previously good paths, start experimenting and taking risks, etc. etc.  One point of the coach profiled in the story above is he volunteers to coach girls basketball in part because "“We have so many kids trying to grow up too fast,” he said. “My thing is to try and keep them busy for as long as possible.”

If we're automatically restricting the opportunities for girls as described here, we're not even giving them the same chances to succeed as we give boys.  This translates into less money, time, mentorship and resources being invested in girls, and an overall loss of opportunities for young women to form good habits, develop skills, learn teamwork and participation and competition and assertiveness, meet new people, develop role models, see the "world" beyond their neighborhood, learn to manage their time, learn to focus on their personal development, and consider a wider range of options than the might otherwise see home afterschool caring for siblings, grandparents, or households.  And we wonder why more women than men end up poor.

(Photo by NeeDeeAhh! of the jv girls basketball team from, I believe, Riverside High in El Paso, TX)