Sacramento—Assemblymember Carol Liu (La Canada-Flintridge), Chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, presented a resolution, ACR 9, declaring today as Girls and Women in Sports Day. The theme of this year’s celebration is “More than a Game.”
“Participation in sports is truly more than a game. Athletics have a tremendous positive impact on the physical and psychological health of young women, which leads to increased success in educational and career goals,” said Liu. “We need to celebrate and encourage more women, both young and old, to embrace sports.”
Girls who participate in sports are more likely to graduate from high school than those who do not play sports. Female student athletes are also more likely to graduate from college than women students in general with graduation rates of 69% and 59%, respectively.
More importantly, moderate physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, breast cancer, obesity and high blood pressure. In addition, teenage female athletes are less than half as likely to get pregnant as non-athletes and are more likely to put off having sex.
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