I listened with concern upon hearing about the number of female athletes now using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, the number who have eating disorders or who have been physically and verbally abused by their coaches or sexually harassed. It makes them physically ill before a game and has even led to nastiness between them because of the competition on their own team. I know that I don't approve of it coming from a father. But sometimes it's really tough. The number of girls competing in sports has never been higher.
National studies estimate that one of every three high school girls competes in some kind of sport.
Close to half the nation's volleyball players are girls, and 40 percent of the nation's soccer players from ages 7-19 are female, compared to just eight percent 10 years ago. But as the numbers of female participants has increased, so has the number of problems. Fighting, steroids, abusive coaches and problem parents have most generally been associated only with boys' sports. Sadly, no more. If we played anything, it was either because we were forced to do it in gym class or we knew the boys were watching.