Rankings in orange circles compare this sport with nine other sports offered for this gender before customization – meaning each of the three health categories is given an equal one-third weighting. The ranking is comprised of data collected or developed from various sources (75% of score) and expert opinion (25% of score). The healthiest sports in each of the three categories – physical activity, safety and psychosocial benefits – and in each data measurement are ranked No. 1. Note: Some sports did not have significant differences between each other in the data. Learn more about our methodology.
9th
out of 10
Physical Activity
Expert Opinion Rank: 10th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Softball physical activity at practices ranks ninth among the 10 girls sports studied by North Carolina State University. Softball has just 19.6 percent vigorous activity; the 10 girls sports average 39.6 percent. Forty-four percent of softball practice time focuses on skills compared to 10 percent on fitness.
1 North Carolina State University research observing high school athletes in North Carolina, 2017-18.
5th
out of 10
Safety
12.7
Injury Rate2(7th out of 10)
8.7%
Injury Time/Loss3(5th out of 10)
0.01
Catastrophic Rate4(T-4th out of 10)
3.7%
Injuries Requiring Surgery5(5th out of 10)
2.4
Concussion Rate6(5th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: T-5th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Softball has the fourth-worst injury rate among evaluated girls sports, according to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. More than a quarter of all injuries are to the head/face, more than any other body part. Softball is in the middle of the pack for concussion rates in girls sports.
2 Injury rate per 10,000 exposures, National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2016-17.
3 Percentage of all injuries resulting in greater than three weeks of time loss from the sport, National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2016-17.
4 Non-fatal catastrophic injury/illness rate per 100,000 exposures, National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, 1982-2016.
5 Percentage of all injuries requiring surgery, National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2016-17.
6 Concussion rate per 10,000 exposures, National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2016-17.
2nd
out of 10
Psychosocial
Aspen Psychosocial Survey7
3.695
Personal Social Skills(3rd out of 10)
2.852
Cognitive Skills(3rd out of 10)
3.747
Goal-Setting(1st out of 10)
3.858
Initiative(1st out of 10)
3.845
Health(1st out of 10)
1.599
Negative Experiences(6th out of 10)
Substance Abuse
Cigarette Use8
13.9%
(8th out of 10)
Binge Drinking9
18.7%
(6th out of 10)
Marijuana Use10
18.2%
(9th out of 10)
Academic Achievement
Cut Class11
26.5%
(5th out of 10)
A/A- Student12
42.5%
(9th out of 10)
Graduate From College13
70%
(9th out of 10)
Psychological health14
How We Define Our Metrics
4.06
Self-Esteem(10th out of 10)
2.15
Fatalism(7th out of 10)
3.77
Self-Efficacy(9th out of 10)
2.71
Loneliness(4th out of 10)
2.05
Self-Derogation(T-6th out of 10)
4.26
Social Support(5th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: 1st Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Softball rates first among the 10 girls sports in the Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial survey, though the gap isn’t large compared to No. 10 track and field. Goal setting, initiative and health are strengths for softball. The sport has the lowest score for self-esteem, according to Women’s Sports Foundation data.
7 Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial benefits survey of high school athletes nationally, 2018. Scoring ranges from 1-4, with 4 being the best except for the Negative Experiences category.
8 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport smoking cigarettes in the past 30 days. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
9 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport binge drinking alcohol in the past two weeks. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
10 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport using marijuana in the past 30 days. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
11 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport who cut class for a full day in the past month. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
12 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport who have an average grade of an A or A-. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
13 Percentage of high school seniors in the sport who expect to graduate from a four-year college. Data from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters.
14 Average scores of high school seniors in the sport in psychological health report card. Data for these six categories came from Monitoring the Future Study (2010-15) and analyzed by Women’s Sports Foundation in Teen Sport in America: Why Participation Matters. Scoring ranges from 1-5, with 5 being the best for self-esteem, self-efficacy and social support.