The benefits—physiological, social, and emotional—of participating in school sports teams and athletics are wide-ranging˳ In addition to physiological benefits such as lower rates of obesity,3 research has found that high school and college student-athletes may be at lower risk for anxiety and depression,4 suicide attempts,5 and tobacco and illegal drug use˳6 Sports participation has also been associated with increased self-esteem and self-confidence,7 improved academic performance,8 stronger feelings of school connectedness and school-based social support, and broader social capital and community connectedness˳9 Further, it can lead to lifelong friendships with teammates and coaches and promote feelings of comradery, sportsmanship, and the ability to work hard and persevere˳
Sports participation can also help increase opportunity for vulnerable school-age youth˳ For those who have experienced adverse childhood events—including poverty, disruption in family structure or family deaths, or learning or behavioral problems—sports participation can be a source of resilience and empowerment, protecting against short- and long-term negative impacts to mental health and well-being˳10 These benefits can have lifelong effects: There is evidence that participating in high school or collegiate athletics is associated with higher wages and better jobs—meaning, for example, more-senior positions or more benefits offered alongside compensation˳11
Mental health and discrimination among transgender youth
These types of benefits are particularly crucial for transgender youth, who are at increased risk for family and peer rejection, victimization, stigma, and discrimination—so have more to gain through their participation in sports˳ In the 2015 U˳S˳ Transgender Survey (USTS) of more than 40,000 transgender adults ages 18 and above, more than 77 percent of those who were out or perceived as transgender while in grades K-12 reported negative experiences at school, such as verbal or physical harassment, physical or sexual assault, or being prevented from dressing in accordance with their gender identity; almost one-fifth of respondents said they had to leave school because of such mistreatment˳12 These rates are substantially higher for transgender people of color, highlighting how experiences of transgender people of color can intersect to increase risk for within-transgender disparities˳ For example, among the USTS sample, more than half (54 percent) of respondents reported being verbally harassed, one-quarter (24 percent) reported being physically attacked, and 13 percent reported being sexually assaulted as a result of others perceiving them as transgender, with rates of all three substantially higher among American Indian, multiracial, and Middle Eastern transgender people˳13
Additionally, a Center for American Progress investigation of Title IX complaints filed with the Office for Civil Rights at the U˳S˳ Department of Education from March 2010 through May 2018 revealed that the Department of Education has been failing to uphold the rights of transgender students˳14 Compared with complaints among the general population, complaints related to one’s sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI) more frequently involved harassment or violence and were far less likely to lead to any corrective action: From 2013 to 2016, more than 72 percent of SOGI-related complaints involved sexual or gender harassment or violence, compared with less than 20 percent of all complaints in the general population˳ Furthermore, complaints from LGBTQ students were more than nine times less likely to result in corrective action under the Trump administration (from January 2017 through May 2018) than under the Obama administration (from May 2010 through December 2016)˳15
School-based harassment, victimization, and rejection can have life-threatening consequences for transgender youth˳ An analysis of data aggregated from the 15 states with publicly available data that assessed gender identity in the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior State and Local Survey (YRBS),16 a representative study of individuals in grades 9 through 12, showed that almost 44 percent of transgender youth, versus 16 percent of cisgender youth, reported considering suicide in the previous year˳
Figure 1
