Some years ago,

Nike came out with a commercial that stopped many people in their tracks. It featured several adolescent girls engaged in various physical activities, with the camera moving quickly from one girl to the next.

In each scene, a girl began speaking with the same phrase, “If you let me play sports,” and then completed the sentence with one of the following statements:
• “I will like myself more.”
• “I will have more self-confidence.”
• “I will suffer less depression.”
• “I will be 60 percent less likely to develop breast cancer.”
• “I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me.”
• “I will be less likely to get pregnant before I want to.”
• “I will learn what it means to be strong.”

The research data that support the statements made in the Nike commercial can be used to understand the arguments supporting athletic programs for all students, particularly young girls.