Honoring the Legacy. Continuing the Work.
If you’ve followed Leveling the Fields for a while, you’ve likely seen the statistics comparing girls’ sports participation to boys’. And if you haven’t, here are a few that are hard to ignore:
68% of girls fear being judged in sports settings
61% lack confidence in their athletic abilities before they begin
43% don’t feel safe in outdoor sports environments
And perhaps most telling: 94% of C-suite women played sports
The Barriers Start Before the First Game
When we talk about girls dropping out of sports, we often focus on when they leave. But the reality is that many girls never start.
Sixty-eight percent fear being judged. That fear isn’t about losing, but stepping onto a field and worrying they won’t be good enough. It’s about body image. It’s about comparison. It’s the result of internalized messages that sports are for someone else.
Sixty-one percent lack confidence before they even try. That’s not a personality issue. It’s an environment issue.
The Cost of Sitting Out
94% of C-suite women played sports.
80% of Fortune 500 female executives have sports backgrounds.
74% say sports accelerated their careers.
That’s not coincidence.
Former DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman said:
“Team sports really teach you how to collaborate across a broad spectrum of personalities… and learn how to get the most out of what you have.”
Sports builds collaboration, resilience, discipline, and confidence.
As Katty Kay, co-author of The Confidence Code, explains:
“Playing competitive sports embodies the experience not just of winning, but the experience of losing… That process really builds confidence.”
When girls don’t start playing sports, we’re not just losing athletes, we’re losing potential leaders.
February Is a Reminder — Not the Finish Line
February brings National Girls & Women in Sports Day — a time to honor trailblazers like Flo Hyman, whose advocacy pushed equity forward long before it was widely supported.
Last year, we shared Flo’s story because her legacy reminds us that access to sport is about more than competition. It’s about dignity, opportunity, and equity.
But recognition without action isn’t enough.
Advocacy cannot be seasonal.
If we believe girls belong in sports, February cannot be the only time we say it — or the only time we act on it.
Breaking Down Barriers — Year Round
The barriers girls face aren’t inevitable. They’re structural, and structures can be changed.
At Leveling the Fields, this is the work.
We design beginner-friendly programs.
We reduce financial obstacles.
We create safe spaces for girls to gain exposure to new sports.
We elevate female role models.
Every scholarship awarded. Every first-time participant who laces up.
That’s how we move from statistics to stories.
Because every executive who once played sports had a first practice. A first moment of courage.
Girls don’t belong in sports only in February.
They belong — period.
As always, thank you for reading and being part of our journey.
The Leveling the Fields Team
