Research indicates a positive relationship between participation in sports and educational success in girls and young women. They do better in school, suffer fewer health problems, and hold better jobs as adults.
Female high school athletes also have a better chance of graduating from both high school and college. Female athletes from ethnic minority groups report better school grades and greater involvement in extracurricular activities than their nonathlete counterparts and in some cases were considerably less likely to drop out of school.
Ensuring girls have the same access to sports as boys can help them stay healthier and perform better in school.
– Sources: Women, Sports, and Development: Does It Pay to Let Girls Play? Peterson Institute for International Economics, March 2014
From elite female athletes to exceptional leaders: For all the places sport will take you, EY, 2013