A new study finds adolescents involved in organized team sports are more likely to stay in school and earn their high school diploma.
Teens who take part in organized sports also score big in the classroom.
A new study finds team sports like soccer and artistic sports like gymnastics have long-term benefits on kids’ success.
Researchers compared physical activity data collected from 2,800 children at the age of 12 to their academic performance in later years.
Boys in organized sports were nearly 15% more likely to have a high school diploma by age 20, according to the results.
That same graduation boost was seen in girls in organized sports. Plus, their grades were 8% higher overall and 23% higher if they were part of an artistic sport.
Practicing with a coach was also associated with higher chances of graduation for both boys and girls.
The researchers say, “When supervised by an adult and often in teams, sports allow children to develop key skills in various areas — leadership, behaving in a group [and] prolonged attention — that can be transferred to academic classes.”
They say barriers to participation include cost and family issues that must be addressed so all children can play to succeed.
Source: Children
Author Affiliations: University of Montreal
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