Why Women Who Play Sports Are More Successful

[Tom]

Interesting article about success of women who play college sports

Women Who Play Sports Are More Successful - Fortune

 

[quincy]

Article annoyed me from the start so I did not read it all.

Any player that plays sports makes sacrifices and learns time management. Also staying up until 1 AM to complete their work when there are not enough hours in the day.

 

[Tatonka]

I posted that same article back in early February.....no one liked it then either. ;-)

 

[JAD]

You do not need a doctorate to know that the drive and determination that fuels a female to play collegiate athletics are going to transfer well to the business world...

 

[jacman]

A decent enough article. I enjoyed the anecdotal aspect, though I would have enjoyed a bit more evidence and analysis to support it.

I'd also like to see someone present more legitimate research on the correlation of supportive parents and success not only in sports, but other endeavors as well. How many of us have been frustrated trying to coach a very talented young player whose parents just don't have what it takes to help their own kid get a shot at something they love.

 

[BobInMadison]

How much of it is because sports is helping the girls succeed, and how much is because the sort of girls more likely to succeed in life are more likely to do sports.

For example, the high schools in my town have found that there is a correlation between family wealth and kids doing sports. The most successful athletes are more likely to be white (part is cultural, part is other factors), more likely to have a financially stable family, and more likely to have two parents who are greatly involved in the girls' lives. That could be an intact family, or a divorced family where both parents share the parenting. That is also the sort of family where the girls are more likely to be academically successful, and more likely to have a stable life.

 

[Momo'sDad]

How much of it is because sports is helping the girls succeed, and how much is because the sort of girls more likely to succeed in life are more likely to do sports.

For example, the high schools in my town have found that there is a correlation between family wealth and kids doing sports. The most successful athletes are more likely to be white (part is cultural, part is other factors), more likely to have a financially stable family, and more likely to have two parents who are greatly involved in the girls' lives. That could be an intact family, or a divorced family where both parents share the parenting. That is also the sort of family where the girls are more likely to be academically successful, and more likely to have a stable life.

With all due respect, sir, I must ask you to refrain from allowing facts to get in the way of a person's well-intended, but overinflated evaluation of their own anecdotal experiences.

When we talk about collegiate sports, a lot of the conversations are about scholarship athletes. Because of their high visibility, men's football and basketball tend to dominate that conversation, but sports like lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, and rowing typically feature athletes who had pretty comfortable upbringings with respect to family finances. The stability you reference has a lot to do with moving the needle in a kid's favor. It doesn't guarantee any level of success - I think it's reasonable to accept that as a given - but stability in the home can certainly increase the odds of a youngster entering the workforce with more options that someone who knew more stressful days than not.

I still hold a deep-seeded belief that sports are great for kids for a myriad of reasons, but I tend to be skeptical of self-serving click-bait. It's a good conversation starter, though, I suppose.

 

[JAD]

When we talk about collegiate sports, a lot of the conversations are about scholarship athletes. Because of their high visibility, men's football and basketball tend to dominate that conversation, but sports like lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, and rowing typically feature athletes who had pretty comfortable upbringings with respect to family finances.

Men's football, basketball and baseball offer the fame and fortune of the NFL, NBA and MLB. Men's secondary sports and womens sports rarely offer careers after college, and most scholarships are partial, so very few players end up in the "black" at the end of their playing careers.

 

[jacman]

Men's football, basketball and baseball offer the fame and fortune of the NFL, NBA and MLB. Men's secondary sports and womens sports rarely offer careers after college, and most scholarships are partial, so very few players end up in the "black" at the end of their playing careers.

I live with a kind of tunnel vision, so I only know softball. If we had not been able to provide DD lessons from some really good instructors over a number of years, she would not have the opportunities ahead of her for college that she does now. We have been incredibly blessed to enable this to happen for her, and she works very hard at her skills. There are girls on her TB team that have pretty well peaked because they haven't spent the time (or money) to provide good instruction for their child. That's ok if they are all getting what they want from the game.

Our high school runs a couple of clinics each year at the local rec association. I've seen very enthusiastic kids at the middle school age level become discouraged at seeing the the abilities of some of the more skilled players who have had better training. Most don't come back to play. I guess these thoughts touch on a variety of issues, but I don't believe there are many in softball who will truly excel without years of training and lessons. Which is to say that financial stability and a stable home are pretty crucial for these girls to succeed at the highest levels.