I first heard about this special day when my daughters were in elementary school. All of the girls were given free admission to a high school girls’ basketball game and the ones who attended were recognized as special guests at halftime. It was a great way to provide an evening of fun and introduce the younger girls to the sport and some high school role models.

Today marks the 35th anniversary of the event which was “created to inspire girls and women to be play and be active, to realize their full power.”

The message is more important than ever, and we can still celebrate with virtual events during the pandemic.

For those of us who see the abundance of sports offerings for girls (and boys) in our communities, it is easy to forget that not all kids have the opportunity to be active. Billie Jean King founded the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974. The organization’s mission is to:

 “…enable all girls and women to reach their potential in sports and life. We provide financial fuel to aspiring champion athletes. We fund groundbreaking research. We educate. We advocate. And we help communities get girls active. Sure, there’s a long way to go but we’re not going to stop until we get there.”

Today offers a good reminder that there are great benefits to girls—and the women they will become—that can be gained by participating in sports.

The physical benefits of playing sports are immediate but staying active helps our health and well-being in many ways. It can even reduce the risk of breast cancer and osteoporosis. Girls who play sports have more confidence, less depression and do better in school. They also establish a work ethic that carries over into the workplace. The Women’s Sports Foundation has identified the top 10 unwritten rules of the workplace and how playing in sports prepares women to succeed.

Playing a sport definitely helped me

The benefits of playing a sport that had the biggest impact on me? Understanding what it means to be on a team and building a strong work ethic through practice.

Like coaches, bosses assemble teams so they can achieve their goals. Understanding my role, the importance of having members with complementary skills, a willingness to learn and adjust, and doing what it takes to meet the goal are just a few of the lessons I learned from sport that I took into the workplace.

And having taken on numerous new challenges over the course of my career, I am glad I learned early that I can develop new skills through hard work, repetition and practice. It is also what has kept me on track for 10 years as I wrote my book, mostly one hour at a time. And it is what will guide me as I begin querying agents and publishers over the next few months. I’ll be rejected and I will try again. And I will understand that even if none of them are interested, it doesn’t mean my story doesn’t matter. Losing a game doesn’t negate my self-worth. It just teaches me how to prepare for the next one.

Learn more

National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Benefits – Why Sports Participation for Girls and Women, Women’s Sports Foundation