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.
1st
out of 10
Physical Activity
Expert Opinion Rank: 1st Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Boys cross country’s physical activity at practices is the highest average among any of the 20 sports studied by North Carolina State University, regardless of gender. Cross country has 68.2 percent vigorous activity; the 10 boys sports average 48.5 percent. Forty percent of cross country practice time focuses on fitness compared to 5 percent on skills.
1 North Carolina State University research observing high school athletes in North Carolina, 2017-18.
3rd
out of 10
Safety
6.9
Injury Rate2(3rd out of 10)
5.9%
Injury Time/Loss3(3rd out of 10)
0.02
Catastrophic Rate4(2nd out of 10)
0%
Injuries Requiring Surgery5(T-1st out of 10)
0.2
Concussion Rate6(2nd out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: 3rd Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Cross country has the third-lowest injury rate among boys sports, according to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. Leg, ankle, knee and foot injuries are the most common ailments. Very few injuries rise to the level of missing time or needing surgery.
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.
8th
out of 10
Psychosocial
Aspen Psychosocial Survey7
3.275
Personal Social Skills(9th out of 10)
2.4
Cognitive Skills(10th out of 10)
3.425
Goal-Setting(10th out of 10)
3.588
Initiative(9th out of 10)
3.483
Health(9th out of 10)
1.175
Negative Experiences(3rd out of 10)
Substance Abuse
Cigarette Use8
12.6%
(2nd out of 10)
Binge Drinking9
22.8%
(2nd out of 10)
Marijuana Use10
19.2%
(1st out of 10)
Academic Achievement
Cut Class11
22%
(T-1st out of 10)
A/A- Student12
47.1%
(1st out of 10)
Graduate From College13
65.9%
(2nd out of 10)
Psychological health14
How We Define Our Metrics
4.23
Self-Esteem(T-7th out of 10)
2.23
Fatalism(T-2nd out of 10)
3.84
Self-Efficacy(1st out of 10)
2.67
Loneliness(10th out of 10)
2.02
Self-Derogation(8th out of 10)
4.19
Social Support(4th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: T-7th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Cross country rates 10th among the 10 boys sports in the Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial survey, though the gap isn’t large compared to No. 1 football. Low rates of substance abuse and high rates of academic achievement are strengths for cross country. The sport has the highest level of loneliness, 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.