Contact Sports:
Are there any benefits for girls in boys sports teams?
Imagine Maddie, a fifteen year old girl, she has loved playing for the all-star girls' soccer team for the past four years. One night her and her mother are informed the girls team is being dropped due to budget cuts. Maddie is heart broken, all she wants to do is play soccer. Her mother tries signing her up for the boys' teams. The question is, due to her gender, can she even sign up? Playing on a boys' team includes benefits for girls like improved leadership skills and self esteem.
Playing on boys sports teams will most definitely raise girls self-esteem. When there are no physiological differences between boys and girls, sports can give girls a new way to appreciate the power of their own bodies. (Giving girls a sporting chance). Being able to win with boys and girls working together on a team can raise all players self-esteem. Girls can also be inspired by other women. It can be very empowering for a young girl to see 16U and 19U female players compete in practice and games or have former collegiate players assist. If girls played on boys teams there would be a second gender to admire in sports, not just boys. . This can also show girls that there bodies can be used for many things, not just for "looking pretty". So, girls playing on boys teams doesn't only help girls physically but also mentally.
On the other side, people may say there is a disadvantage for girls playing against boys, but that is completely incorrect. Women's Sports Foundation has shown, that pre-puberty girls and boys do not differ significantly in philologist parameters such as height, weight, fat-free mass, etc. There is actually an advantage that girls have before puberty. Studies from "Girls and Contact Sports" have revealed, "Until the onset of puberty, girls grow faster and have more coordination than boys. This proves that girls actually have the advantage while playing sports. Prior to puberty, boys and girls can and should compete with and against each other on sports teams.
On boys sports teams there are few opportunities to be a leader or captain. If girls get to actually express themselves freely on boys teams these opportunities will be come greater. Girls playing with boys will help increase their leadership skills it will give women more chances to play and become true leaders. All women deserve the chance to become a leader. The CAAW (Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women, Sports and Physical Activity) states that, "there are more opportunities for female talented athletes to compete in boys leagues." This simply means that girls will be given a "sporting chance" to play to there best ability at any sport.
Counter Claim
Others may argue that at the high school level, girls should be banned for boys sports teams. Due to their physical differences, "it is to dangerous for girls to play". However in this case, it is exactly the opposite. At the high school level, a girls would be coming from years of playing a particular sport. They would be a great part of the team and even benefit them in many ways, no matter the physiological differences.
Girls playing on boys will raise self esteem and increase leadership skills. There are to many girls who want to be athletic and healthy through a sport, but there opportunities are limited. If no one makes a change, you could be looking at a future with no female sports, and those little opportunities will be gone. Make the change and stand up for your gender.
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