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.
3rd
out of 10
Physical Activity
Expert Opinion Rank: 2nd Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Swimming physical activity at practices ranks third among the 10 girls sports studied by North Carolina State University. Swimming has 56.4 percent vigorous activity; the 10 girls sports average 39.6 percent. Thirty-one percent of swimming practice time focuses on fitness compared to 28 percent on skills.
1 North Carolina State University research observing high school athletes in North Carolina, 2017-18.
3rd
out of 10
Safety
3
Injury Rate2(1st out of 10)
13.8%
Injury Time/Loss3(10th out of 10)
0.12
Catastrophic Rate4(9th out of 10)
0%
Injuries Requiring Surgery5(1st out of 10)
0.6
Concussion Rate6(4th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: 1st Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Swimming has the lowest injury rate among girls sports, according to the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study; other categories push down its overall Safety score. The most common injuries are to the shoulder, including rotator cuff impingement. Concussion rates are low for swimmers compared to other 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.
Concussion rate per 10,000 exposures, 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.
6th
out of 10
Psychosocial
Aspen Psychosocial Survey7
3.543
Personal Social Skills(7th out of 10)
2.819
Cognitive Skills(4th out of 10)
3.733
Goal-Setting(2nd out of 10)
3.733
Initiative(6th out of 10)
3.667
Health(6th out of 10)
1.596
Negative Experiences(5th out of 10)
Substance Abuse
Cigarette Use8
11.1%
(6th out of 10)
Binge Drinking9
19.8%
(7th out of 10)
Marijuana Use10
17.3%
(7th out of 10)
Academic Achievement
Cut Class11
27.5%
(6th out of 10)
A/A- Student12
44.2%
(8th out of 10)
Graduate From College13
69.5%
(10th out of 10)
Psychological health14
How We Define Our Metrics
4.13
Self-Esteem(T-5th out of 10)
2.19
Fatalism(T-8th out of 10)
3.86
Self-Efficacy(T-6th out of 10)
2.8
Loneliness(8th out of 10)
2.06
Self-Derogation(8th out of 10)
4.2
Social Support(10th out of 10)
Expert Opinion Rank: T-4th Out of 10
Key Characteristics: Swimming rates fifth among the 10 girls sports in the Aspen Institute/University of Texas psychosocial survey, not too far behind No. 1 softball. Goal setting and cognitive skills are strengths for swimming. The sport fares below average in cigarette and marijuana use and binge drinking, 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.