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Report on Serving it up: Sports and SmartGirls
Smart girls decide for themselves™.
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Now that we're heading into summer, most of us have more free time to spend on our favorite activities. We wanted to know if you count sports among these and if so, which ones. The majority of this survey, however, concentrated on the differences between males and females in the world of sports. 547 girls and 10 boys were kind enough to share their opinions. Most are between the ages of 11 and 14, but people of all ages responded. There were roughly equal numbers of oldest, middle, youngest, and only children. Once again, we were pleased to see that people representing a variety of backgrounds and nationalities--including Albanian, Jamaican, and Pakistani--living in different types of environments took part in the survey.
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As you can see from the line graph below, most of the people who took this survey either agree or strongly agree with the statement "I enjoy playing sports."
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| Do you enjoy playing sports? |
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But which sports do you like to play and/or watch? The complete results are listed below. This was educational for me because I learned about different ways of playing some sports (hurling, Aussie rules football) and other sports that I had never heard of before (ringette, rounders). I was also surprised to see that trampolining is considered a sport. When did that happen? Some of the other interesting sports you wrote in about included rock climbing, marksmanship, dog mushing, fencing, jump rope (?), yoga (??), chess (???), and the Couch Potato Sport (ooh, my favorite!).
~Basketball: 323
~Swimming: 316
~Volleyball: 257
~Soccer: 234
~Tennis: 231
~Football: 210
~Baseball/Softball: 192
~Track: 187
~Hockey: 91
~Equestrian: 64
~Rugby: 57
~Cricket: 52
~Wrestling: 51
~Golf: 43
~Lacrosse: 42
~Gymnastics: 32
~Other: 30
~Netball: 25
~Cheerleading: 22
~Badminton: 19
~Dance: 16
~Ice skating: 8
~Running: 8
~Rounders: 5
~Martial arts: 5
~Kickball: 5
~Trampolining: 4
~Skiing: 4
~None: 4
~Car racing: 4
~Biking: 3
~Dodgeball: 3
~Rollerblading: 2
~Bowling: 2
~Fencing: 2
~Skateboarding: 2
~Table tennis: 2
When we asked why you play sports, most (274) said because they're fun. Others (97) said that fun and fitness were equally important in explaining why you participate. 63 said that staying fit/healthy was reason enough for you. 13 unfortunate people are forced to take part in sports. 23 don't participate at all, and 3 people cited other reasons for playing sports. Many respondents noted that the ability to meet new people, the thrill of competition, working as a team, and releasing stress/anger also contributed to their interest in sports. Here are some of the more notable responses to this question:
~"They keep me in shape and I wanna make a difference in girls' sports...I want people to remember what I accomplished and that I was a girl!!!"
~"I only play golf and ride my many ponies because there is no contact with other players and it is calm and quiet, like a proper girl should be."
~"I like to. Sorry that that is a lame answer."
~"It's fun, to keep fit, and because I have to!! :P"
~"I like to sail because I can just get away from it all and forget my problems."
~"They keep you fit and they are fun to do. They keep your mind off of brain-rotting things (tv, computer, etc)."
~"I love to be active and feel strong. Also, I don't like how girls are seen as weaker than the boys."
~"They're fun, exciting, and even burn calories! All around good pastime."
As for how often you play sports per month outside of gym class, 52 said never, 103 said 1-2 times, 97 said 3-4 times, 83 said 5-6 times, and a whopping 226 said 7 or more times. You go, girls!
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| Have your parents or other adults encouraged you to play sports? |
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What about those people who don't play sports? 44 said they just didn't like sports for one reason or another. 28 said they just weren't any good at sports. Remember, though, that you won't improve if you don't try. Argh, I sound like my mom, but it's true. 23 others are too busy for sports. 13 people said they couldn't play because of an injury or other problem. 13 find sports boring while 8 say that they're too tired to play or that they find sports too tiring. 7 people were brutally honest and said they were just too lazy. 6 people said that they were too shy or too worried about embarrassing themselves to play. Finally, 34 respondents cited a variety of personal reasons, including the expense involved and their parents' refusal to allow them. Here are some of the responses:
~"I think sports are pointless and a waste of time, effort and MONEY."
~"I am an intellectual."
~"Mom no license, too lazy, no time."
~"Not cute enough uniforms."
~"I suck at them, so people yell at me when I make a mistake. Some of them I don't enjoy anyway."
~"I think they are a waste of time and are too competitive. Also because people can get hurt or humiliated and fights can start, so what's the point?"
~"Sometimes I just can't be bothered!! Or to make my P.E. teacher mad. I hate my P.E. teacher."
~"People laugh at me at school if I do sports because I'm not cool according to them."
~"There are no sports in Lincoln City, OR except for golf, football, and maybe track."
~"I am scared that people will make fun of me because I can't do it as well because I am big in size."
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But just because you like playing sports doesn't mean you enjoy watching them, or vice versa. That explains why, when we asked if you enjoy watching sports, only 87 said all of the time, 281 said sometimes, 138 said hardly, and 60 said never.
Here's the breakdown in terms of the number of hours per month you spend watching sports on tv:
~None: 124
~1-2: 202
~3-4: 109
~5-6: 53
~7 or more: 60
While there is still a large number of people that don't attend any sporting events, it seems that more of you prefer watching sports live rather than on tv. Check out the graph below for the results.
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| How many sporting events do you attend in an average month? |
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Okay, now for the controversial questions. Some of you may be surprised or even outraged by some of the results, but remember that we're just reporting the responses we received.
Do you think sports are only for boys?
~Yes: 24
~No: 514
~I don't know: 29
Are boys better athletes than girls?
~Yes: 47
~No: 376
~I don't know: 84
Female sports should receive as much attention as boys.
~All the time: 425
~Sometimes: 95
~Never: 10
~I don't know: 26
Female sports are more entertaining than male sports.
~Strongly agree: 43
~Agree: 73
~Neutral: 338
~Disagree: 70
~Strongly disagree: 32
Girls should have the same opportunities in sports as boys
~Strongly agree: 466
~Agree: 66
~Neutral: 21
~Disagree: 5
~Strongly disagree: 9
Professional women athletes should receive the same amount of money as men.
~All the time: 473
~Sometimes: 59
~Never: 8
~I don't know: 12
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| Do you think girls who play sports want to be like boys? |
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Rough, contact sports are too dangerous for girls.
~Strongly agree: 58
~Agree: 33
~Neutral: 137
~Disagree: 135
~Strongly disagree: 204
More girls should be encouraged to play sports.
~Strongly agree: 292
~Agree: 161
~Neutral: 79
~Disagree: 6
~Strongly disagree: 11
Do girls feel more pressure than boys to participate in sports activities?
~Yes: 101
~No: 141
~Same: 148
~Unsure: 146
Does confidence have to do with whether a girl plays sports or not?
~Always: 141
~Sometimes: 283
~Hardly ever: 36
~Never: 38
~Other: 52
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| I watch male sports on TV more than female sports. |
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count | percent |
1watchmo
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| allthetime |
116 | 20.46 |
| sometimes |
146 | 25.75 |
| bothequally |
178 | 31.39 |
| fem_more |
33 | 5.82 |
| dontwatch |
94 | 16.58 |
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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts
with us!
Please remember that all web-based polls
are not scientific because the pollsters cannot randomly select the
respondents to participate in the surveys.
All our surveys are anonymous; check out our privacy
policy. All data copyright 1996-2000.
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