Engaging in structured physical activities from a young age may give children an academic edge.
Teenagers who play team sports, such as soccer or basketball, or compete in artistic sports, such as dance or gymnastics, are more likely to graduate from high school than those who do not engage in structured physical activity, a study from the University of Montreal found.
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Team sports "require structure, usually by the implementation of rules and objectives," the researchers wrote. "When supervised by an adult and often in teams, sports allow children to develop key skills in various areas – leadership, behaving in a group, prolonged attention – that can be transferred to academic classes."
Boys who participated in team sports were nearly 15% more likely to earn a high school diploma or the equivalent by age 20, the researchers found.
The results for girls were more nuanced.
Girls who played team sports were 7% more likely to earn a high school diploma, and participation in team or artistic sports was linked to higher grades for girls. Conversely, girls whose only physical activities were unstructured, such as riding bikes or playing outside, had lower average grades at 18 compared to the other groups.
The study relied on data from a survey of nearly 2,800 Canadian youth ages 12-20. The data was collected between 1996 and 2001. The researchers cross-referenced the students' sports participation with their academic performances at ages 18 and 20.
"We must bear in mind that our findings are based on data collected … well before the explosion of screens and digital platforms," one of the study's lead authors, Linda Pagani, said. "Confounding factors are likely to be greater and potentially more challenging today."