How playing sports can make women better leaders

December 19, 2023

According to data from non-profit organization Canadian Women & Sport, there is a dramatic drop in girls playing sports as their bodies change during puberty, with one in three girls leaving sport by their late teen years. By comparison, only one in 10 teenaged boys leave sports during that time. Girls may quit in response to social or cultural pressures, and they are more likely to experience low confidence, negative body image and feeling they aren’t good enough to play.

Dropping out can have far-reaching consequences. Numerous studies have shown that sport is correlated with higher self-esteem and other positive impacts long-term. This is an area of research that Nicole LaVoi, director of The Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota, has been exploring for years. She’s the lead consulting partner on a new online coaching tool called Body Confident Sport that aims to give coaches the tools to help athletes feel more confident in their bodies. Globe and Mail