Empowering girls in sports: Breaking barriers and building confidence for all body types

Some names have been changed to protect individuals' privacy. 

Every Saturday morning during the academic year, Coach Mark laces up his shoes and takes his daughter to their local Girls on the Run team’s practice. Mark began coaching the team when his daughter Sarah joined last year. Recently, though, he dreaded going. Sarah – one of the girls on the team – struggled to keep up with the other girls. 

When Sarah fell behind, Mark slowed his pace to run alongside Sarah. But, weeks passed, and Sarah wasn’t moving any faster than when she started. He grew frustrated and impatient. On one run, as Mark was trying to find the words to communicate that, Sarah beat him to it. “Thank you. I know I’m slow, but you still run with me, every practice. I just wanted to thank you for that support.” 

For many young girls like Sarah, sports are not simply a place to compete, but also a place to empower oneself and gain a support system. According to a survey conducted by Women in Sports, 43 percent of girls drop out of sports after elementary school. Additionally, girls drop out of sports before the age of 14 at twice the rate of their male counterparts. Without the enduring support of her coach, Sarah would likely belong to this alarming statistic.

It’s important that girls and women remain active in sports. For girls, particularly those involved in high school sports, the sense of belonging, support, and accomplishment gained from being part of a team can significantly contribute to their overall happiness and resilience. Staying involved in sports has profound mental health benefits such as enhanced confidence, self-esteem, and body image satisfaction. Engaging in sports has also been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and even depression.

There are a number of factors contributing to girls’ sports drop-out rates, notably lack of opportunities, fear of judgment, and poor body image. Body image plays a significant role in influencing girls’ participation in sports. Dove notes that 45 percent of girls quit sports as a result of low body confidence. 

Dr. Emily Matheson from the Center for Appearance Research underscored two decades of research indicating that girls frequently drop out from sports because of worries about their appearance. These worries are derived from societal pressures that dictate their expected appearance and behavior – standards that prioritize thinness and a narrow view of femininity. As a result, many girls develop negative perceptions of their bodies, which can impact their confidence and willingness to participate in sports. A study conducted by ESPNW found that 68 percent of female student-athletes feel pressure to be pretty and 30 percent feel that they’re “too muscular.”

These struggles can be especially challenging for girls and women in larger bodies who already find themselves facing size bias outside of sports. Negative stereotypes and misconceptions about weight and athleticism perpetuate a culture that undervalues the abilities and contributions of larger athletes. As a result, these individuals may encounter bias, teasing, or exclusion from sports teams, leading to feelings of alienation and low self-esteem. Additionally, the lack of representation of fat athletes in mainstream media and sports further reinforces these harmful stereotypes, perpetuating the myth that athleticism is exclusively linked to a specific body type. Such representation is needed to showcase that weight isn’t a factor in athleticism. 

We are failing women in sports, and we only maintain such patterns if we refuse to acknowledge it. Ultimately, it is up to us as individuals and communities to embrace our shared responsibility of empowering girls and women of all shapes, sizes, and abilities to pursue their passions, build confidence, and unleash their full potential both on and off the playing field.