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: 3rd Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Soccer physical activity at practices ranks fifth among the 10 boys sports studied by North Carolina State University. Soccer has 49.8 percent vigorous activity; the 10 boys sports average 48.5 percent. Soccer practice time focuses an equal amount on skills and fitness (27 percent each).
1 North Carolina State University research observing high school athletes in North Carolina, 2017-18.
7th
out of 10
Safety
18.3
Injury Rate2(7th out of 10)
8%
Injury Time/Loss3(4th out of 10)
0.03
Catastrophic Rate4(T-3rd out of 10)
4.7%
Injuries Requiring Surgery5(5th out of 10)
3.3
Concussion Rate6(7th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: 7th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Soccer has one of the highest injury rates among boys sports, according to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. The most common injuries are to the hip, thigh, upper leg, ankle and head/face. Despite a high injury rate relative to other sports, soccer players don’t miss a lot of time due to injuries.
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.
1st
out of 10
Psychosocial
Aspen Psychosocial Survey7
3.629
Personal Social Skills(2nd out of 10)
2.695
Cognitive Skills(4th out of 10)
3.623
Goal-Setting(5th out of 10)
3.804
Initiative(1st out of 10)
3.855
Health(1st out of 10)
1.473
Negative Experiences(7th out of 10)
Substance Abuse
Cigarette Use8
13.8%
(4th out of 10)
Binge Drinking9
29.2%
(6th out of 10)
Marijuana Use10
25%
(5th out of 10)
Academic Achievement
Cut Class11
28.3%
(4th out of 10)
A/A- Student12
36.3%
(T-5th out of 10)
Graduate From College13
61.3%
(5th out of 10)
Psychological health14
How We Define Our Metrics
4.27
Self-Esteem(T-4th out of 10)
2.23
Fatalism(T-2nd out of 10)
3.77
Self-Efficacy(5th out of 10)
2.46
Loneliness(5th out of 10)
1.95
Self-Derogation(5th out of 10)
4.23
Social Support(2nd out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: 1st Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Soccer rates second among the 10 boys sports in the Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial survey, barely behind No. 1 football. Developing initiative, health and social skills are strengths for soccer. The sport has the second-best scores for fatalistic beliefs and social support, 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.