Girls' Sports Are Getting More Physical

"At the turn of the 20th century, a sporty American woman would have had relatively few arenas to test her skill: croquet, maybe, or archery, or basketball played gently in an ankle-length skirt. Public displays of aggression were almost universally condemned, and colliding was especially unsavory. To avoid it, women's-basketball competitions prohibited "snatching" the ball until the 1960s."

"Although men's and women's sports generally follow the same fundamental objectives today-stealing the basketball is a smart tactic in anyone's game-physical contact in women's sports remains controversial. When Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese exchange elbows in the WNBA, outrage and concern inevitably follow. Meanwhile, NBA players sparring over the ball, or NHL players outright brawling, is typically treated as business as usual."

"Ice hockey, rugby, and football (of the tackle, seven-on-seven, and flag varieties) are all among the fastest-growing sports for teenage girls. And at American high schools last academic year, more girls played on teams for wrestling than field hockey, gymnastics, or dance."

Historically, early 20th-century women's sports were heavily restricted, prohibiting physical contact and aggressive play. Women's basketball banned ball-snatching until the 1960s. Today, while physical contact in women's sports remains controversial—generating outrage over incidents like those in the WNBA—men's sports normalize similar physicality. Paradoxically, girls show unprecedented interest in contact sports. Ice hockey, rugby, tackle football, and wrestling are among the fastest-growing sports for teenage girls. High schools now offer diverse athletic options beyond traditional basketball and soccer, including rodeo and bass fishing. These emerging sports attract players unable to make competitive traditional teams, providing accessible alternatives while challenging long-standing gender norms in athletics.

Read at The Atlantic