I’ve been playing competitive sports my whole life. I believe sports and specifically team sports teaches you things that are valuable for in life. As a father, I firmly believe this not only for my son, but also for my daughters. All of my kids are currently playing AYSO soccer.  It’s been a great experience so far and will have positive influences throughout their lives. I was glad to see this confirmed in research and in a recent article in the Boston Globe:

“But now, for the first time, new research has begun to document a measurable benefit to girls playing sports, sweeping away any fuzzy, feel-good reasons why girls athletics matter and showing that sports can truly change the lives of the young women who get the opportunity to win, lose, and just play. A study released earlier this year, examining the impact of Title IX, the federal law that opened the door for greater sports opportunities for girls, offers hard evidence that playing sports leads to greater educational and employment opportunities. Most notably, it found that up to 40 percent of the overall rise in employment of young women in recent decades can be attributed to the increased opportunity to play ball.”

The author of the research Betsey Stevenson is an assistant professor of business and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.  “Sports,” she said, “leads to students becoming more productive members of society.”  I totally agree!