There is more great news about the value that sports has on American youth. This past week a report of high school students nationwide, USTA Serves Special Report, More Than a Sport: Tennis, Education and Health, was released that analyzes the educational, behavioral, and health benefits to adolescents who participate in tennis.
Results from the study show that, when compared to non-athletes and participants in many other sports, young people who participate in tennis get better grades, devote more hours to studying, think more about their future, aspire to attend and graduate from college, and have lower suspension and expulsion rates.
A press release for the report identified the following key findings from the report as:
• Tennis is a unique catalyst for educational advantage.
• Tennis players had significantly lower rates of suspension from school and other disciplinary measures than participants in other sports and non-athletes.
• Educational advantages among tennis players occurred across all socioeconomic levels.
• Adolescent tennis players are well-rounded.
• Tennis contributes to adolescent health.
• Adolescent participation in tennis varies by race/ethnicity and gender, as well as across geographic regions.
The report used data from Monitoring the Future, a federally-funded survey, in order to compare the education and health profiles of tennis players with other high school athletes, as well as with high school students who do not participate in sports. USTA Serves is the national charitable foundation of the United States Tennis Association.