Racism, misogyny and rigid structures and cultures to blame for a devastating gap between Black girls’ sporting dreams and realities, says Women in Sport
Image courtesy of Women in Sport
UK charity Women in Sport has released powerful new research that highlights a heartbreaking reality for Black girls: despite being twice as likely to dream of becoming professional athletes as White British girls, they are the least likely to take part in sport.
The research report, titled Black Girls and Sport: A Breakup Story, aims to shed light on the reasons why just one in seven is active outside of school, even though 60% said they dreamt of a professional sporting career and 85% described themselves as ‘sporty’. 48% of Black girls were found to have fallen out of love with sport in their teens.
A wider issue – with specific challenges for Black girls
While the issue isn’t unique to Black girls, with 1.3m teenage girls falling out of love with sport across all races and backgrounds, the stark reality is that Black girls are leaving sport in the greatest numbers despite starting out with the greatest enthusiasm. The sporting world is clearly failing them, judging by the numbers presented in the report.
The report also underscores…
