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.
5th
out of 10
Physical Activity
Expert Opinion Rank: 6th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Lacrosse physical activity at practices ranks fifth among the 10 girls sports studied by North Carolina State University. Lacrosse has 37.6 percent vigorous activity; the 10 girls sports average 39.6 percent. Thirty-nine percent of lacrosse practice time focuses on skills compared to 18 percent on fitness.
1 North Carolina State University research observing high school athletes in North Carolina, 2017-18.
8th
out of 10
Safety
16.3
Injury Rate2(8th out of 10)
8.3%
Injury Time/Loss3(4th out of 10)
0.08
Catastrophic Rate4(8th out of 10)
7.9%
Injuries Requiring Surgery5(9th out of 10)
4.2
Concussion Rate6(T-8th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: 8th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Lacrosse has the third-highest injury and concussion rates among girls sports, according to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. Injuries to the head/face, knee and ankle are the most common. Lacrosse players have a high rate of injuries requiring surgery in relation to the other evaluated 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.
7th
out of 10
Psychosocial
Aspen Psychosocial Survey7
3.5
Personal Social Skills(8th out of 10)
2.681
Cognitive Skills(6th out of 10)
3.708
Goal-Setting(3rd out of 10)
3.847
Initiative(2nd out of 10)
3.796
Health(2nd out of 10)
1.698
Negative Experiences(9th out of 10)
Substance Abuse
Cigarette Use8
17.4%
(10th out of 10)
Binge Drinking9
31.8%
(10th out of 10)
Marijuana Use10
22.1%
(10th out of 10)
Academic Achievement
Cut Class11
33.9%
(10th out of 10)
A/A- Student12
50.1%
(3rd out of 10)
Graduate From College13
85%
(2nd out of 10)
Psychological health14
How We Define Our Metrics
4.19
Self-Esteem(T-1st out of 10)
2.06
Fatalism(2nd out of 10)
3.89
Self-Efficacy(4th out of 10)
2.63
Loneliness(1st out of 10)
1.89
Self-Derogation(1st out of 10)
4.43
Social Support(1st out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: T-7th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Lacrosse rates sixth among the 10 girls sports in the Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial survey, though the gap isn’t large compared to No. 1 softball. Developing Initiative and health skills are strengths for lacrosse. The sport has excessively high rates of cigarette use, marijuana use, binge drinking and cutting class, 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.