Against the odds: Girls in urban areas face unique challenges in playing sports

.Katie Thomas has written two parts of a series for the New York Times looking at the unique challenges facing urban girls who want to play sports

Her first piece, about a middle school basketball team in Brooklyn, highlights challenges facing the girls who want to play. Thomas writes:

The Cougars of Middle School 61 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn have few of the basics that suburban public school girls have, including free transportation, uniforms and full seasons of regularly scheduled games. At M.S. 61 each road game is a logistical puzzle for Mr. Mariner, the dean of students who doubles (sans pay) as the coach of the school’s girls’ and boys’ basketball teams. Even when the Cougars arrive ready to play, games are sometimes canceled because the opponents – facing the same obstacles – cannot field a team. Parents rarely show up to watch. Mariner, by the way, won’t cut a girl from the team regardless of ability… and he has to clean the gym after he’s done, despite being the Dean of Students.

The other problem lies in how many girls can overcome the barriers to participation. In the suburbs, girls play sports at rates roughly equal to boys. A 2007 survey by Harris Interactive of more than 2,000 schoolchildren nationwide showed that 54 percent of boys and 50 percent of girls in the suburbs described themselves as “moderately involved” athletes.

Urban areas revealed a much greater discrepancy. Only 36 percent of city girls in the survey described themselves as moderately involved athletes, compared with 56 percent of city boys. This hints at the idea that class and economic circumstances weigh heavily on girls when it comes to sports. Marj Snyder, Chief Program Officer for the Women’s Sports Foundation, points out in the above clip, that studies show girls’ participation in sports can help them build career-critical team-building skills, help combat obesity and improve their academics.

In Brooklyn, Thomas tracked one immigrant girl named Soledad who, while a star on the team, was assigned by her family to pick up a cousin each afternoon from kindergarten and another from daycare instead of going to practice or participating in games. Child care responsibilities of teenagers – particularly girls, is a major obstacle to participation.

In most cases, boys in the family share no such responsibilities. So in more ways that one, traditional views of women’s roles continue to shape girls’ lives in ways that are unhealthy for them.

Thomas demonstrates that school athletics in suburban areas have come pretty close to gender parity and private leagues that require fees are common and parents take time off to attend games — but none of those structures or opportunities are available in urban areas, particularly to girls because of a mixture of time, sexist ideas about the role of girls in extended families and the view of sports as a male activity, and money.

Coaches and organizers of youth sports in cities say that while many immigrant and lower-income parents see the benefit of sports for sons, they often lean on daughters to fill needs in their own hectic lives, like tending to siblings or cleaning the house.

Although boys in the city also have fewer opportunities in sports, other factors work in their favor. Lean athletic budgets leave a gap that is filled by a blend of volunteers and private groups that have traditionally served more boys than girls.

“The needs of boys just have always been, and to a large extent remain, the unspoken, often unrecognized priority,” a professor said.

In part two of her series, Using Teamwork to Bring Girls Into the Game, Thomas profiles the situation in Boston where a number of non-profit groups are working to try to encourage girls to participate more in sports. One group is even helping adults learn to break down barriers in gender-specific play.

Employees at Sports4Kids, a nonprofit group that oversees recess at public schools, have been devising ways to shake up gender roles and increase options for girls. Tes Siarnacki, a recess coordinator at a school in East Boston, regularly encourages older girls to referee boy-dominated soccer games, and assigns older boys to monitor double Dutch jump rope, which is played mostly by girls. One day this spring, Siarnacki encouraged the girls to begin doing sit-ups and jumping jacks. “They wanted to play ‘teacher,’ so I told them to play ‘gym teacher,’ ” she said. “It was a pretty easy sell.”

Like the kids profiled in the Brooklyn story, Boston kids also struggle with familial obligations. In Boston, one sports program attempted to create an program to watch the charges of their participants. In most cases, boys in the family share no such responsibilities. So in more ways that one, traditional views of women’s roles continue to shape girls’ lives in ways that are unhealthy for them.

It’s interesting to note that in many urban schools, basically no tax dollars are spent on sports programs (for boys or girls) and that, given historic interest in keeping boys off the streets and busy, girls athletics have been ignored by the many private groups trying to address the situation, despite the proven benefits for girls.

The whole series, which is well written and researched, is basically an analysis of the role that class and to some extent race play in girls’ participation in athletics. And it’s disheartening to learn that girls with the least opportunity are the ones that might benefit the most from such activities.

Any ideas on how to better bring the girls into the game?

How NOT to coach youth sports: A lesson from Minnesota

Fellow WTS blogger, Nicole LaVoie, at One Sport Voice, writes about a recent youth soccer match in Minnesota:

The scene: Two Minnesota Thunder Academy (MTA)  teams played each other in the State Cup final to see who would advance to the Regionals. The 12-and-under girls soccer club, playing above their level, fought to a gutsy 1-1 tie through two overtime periods against the favored 13-and-under team from the same club. That set the stage for a dramatic penalty shootout.

As this moment of truth played out on soccer field, Coach Mark Abboud instructed his girls to “roll the ball” nicely to the goalkeeper, virtually ensuring the “better team” move on. The girls were shocked, but followed orders.

Chaos, tears, frustration, confusion, emergency meetings at all levels, commentary, opinions, anger, a public apology from Abboud, and parental support for the coach ensued. To read all the details go to, the Inside Minnesota Soccer article, the Star Tribune article, and Coach Mark Abboud’s own contrition on his blog.

LaVoie points out that sport provides many “teachable moments”. Good coaches teach athletes to give full effort, focus on what they can control, treat opponents with respect, and accept the outcome with grace. One decision by a coach does have an impact on everyone involved, and this is a cautionary tale of how not to coach because, simply put, it taught the wrong lessons.

In his team blog, Abboud wrote that he will never forget watching a star player take a weak kick at the goal and walk off in shame. “The silence was deafening. I felt the sun on my face, brushed a tick off my lower leg, and listened to the highway traffic on I-94,” he said. “I felt sick to my stomach.

Those familiar with the way soccer clubs are organized and the intense politics that play out at the administrative level probably aren’t that surprised at this story.  At issue is what’s best for the players and what’s best for the club. Unfortunately the answer isn’t always the same for both.

Club Sports – Competitive and Travel Teams

There are always a few players who stand out, players who have a real passion for the game and love to play and win. How do athletes and/or parents know when it’s time to move up and play in a more competitive sports league?

• The player has a high interest level in a particular sport and practices on her own or with friends

• The player is the best or one of the best on her team and seems bored with the recreational competition level

• The player sees higher-level players and wants to be like them

• The player is mature enough to commit to more frequent practices and more strenuous training

• The player likes competition

The rule of thumb is, let your gut guide you. Don’t push an athlete into trying out for a competitive team just because you want it. Some players are ready as early as age eight and some aren’t ready to move up until age 13 or 14.

Talk about the opportunity and gauge you or your child’s feelings about tryouts. There is always a risk that you/she won’t make the team. Find out what your/her commitment level is. Is the response, “If I don’t make the team, I’ll quit” or is it “If I don’t make the cut, I’ll find another team”?

An athlete should also understand that she is trying out by herself. Her best friend may not make the team. If she’s trying out because others want to, make sure she’s really ready. Sometimes a group or team wants to move up together. Some players may be ready while others aren’t. This situation often results in an unproductive and frustrating experience for both the players and the parents.

What will be asked of the player and the parents?

• Regular attendance at all practices and games. If a player cannot attend, she should notify the coach as soon as possible.

• Players need to arrive ON TIME.

• Proper attire. Higher-level athletes dress accordingly.

• Responsibility for equipment and uniforms. Players should learn to take care of their equipment and uniforms and bring them when required.

• Financial responsibility. Parents should budget in the extra costs and take care of expenses in a timely manner. Most teams present a list of costs to the team at the time of registration. Some teams get sponsorships and fundraising to provide financial help to some families or to help defray costs.

• Maintain standards of behavior. Players and parents must control their actions and words. The level of play in competition becomes more physical as players move through the age groups and skill levels. Players must learn to keep their emotions under control on the field. Parents must remain calm and allow the coaches to address any issues with players and referees.

• Have fun. Even though competitive teams emphasize league standings over fun, if players aren’t enjoying the sport anymore because of the pressure, it may be time to go back to recreational play.