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.
6th
out of 10
Physical Activity
Expert Opinion Rank: 7th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Basketball’s physical activity at practices meets the average for the 10 girls sports studied by North Carolina State University. Basketball has 39.5 percent vigorous activity; the 10 girls sports average 39.6 percent. Forty-four percent of basketball practice time focuses on skills compared to 7 percent on fitness.
1 North Carolina State University research observing high school athletes in North Carolina, 2017-18.
9th
out of 10
Safety
19.6
Injury Rate2(9th out of 10)
9.3%
Injury Time/Loss3(6th out of 10)
0.02
Catastrophic Rate4(7th out of 10)
8.2%
Injuries Requiring Surgery5(10th out of 10)
4.2
Concussion Rate6(T-8th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: 7th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Basketball has the second-worst injury rate among girls sports, according to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study. Half of all basketball injuries are to the ankle or head/face, more than any other body parts. The concussion rate for girls basketball players is almost two times greater than that of boys.
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
3.671
Personal Social Skills(4th out of 10)
2.949
Cognitive Skills(2nd out of 10)
3.634
Goal-Setting(7th out of 10)
3.767
Initiative(5th out of 10)
3.639
Health(7th out of 10)
1.624
Negative Experiences(7th out of 10)
Substance Abuse
Cigarette Use8
7.9%
(3rd out of 10)
Binge Drinking9
15.3%
(2nd out of 10)
Marijuana Use10
17.1%
(6th out of 10)
Academic Achievement
Cut Class11
25.5%
(2nd out of 10)
A/A- Student12
45.8%
(7th out of 10)
Graduate From College13
71.4%
(8th out of 10)
Psychological health14
How We Define Our Metrics
4.19
Self-Esteem(T-1st out of 10)
2.12
Fatalism(5th out of 10)
3.91
Self-Efficacy(1st out of 10)
2.66
Loneliness(2nd out of 10)
1.99
Self-Derogation(4th out of 10)
4.3
Social Support(T-2nd out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: T-2nd Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Basketball rates third among the 10 girls sports in the Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial survey, not far behind No. 1 softball. Developing cognitive skills are a strength for basketball. The sport has the highest level of 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.