* If you had a 5 year old daughter that is an exceptional athlete, what sport would you encourage her to play?

[Adaeva]

Professional basketball players have the highest incomes but the average WNBA salary is 1.2% of the average NBA player. A few boxers also have very high incomes.

Women athletes with the highest earnings are tennis players. This year 7 out of 10 of the top earnings of women athletes are tennis players. With no exceptions, for more than 20 years, a woman athlete with the highest earnings have been tennis players.

* I found this question on Hogville

Updates

+1 y

No one on GAG has a 5 year old daughter that is an exceptional athlete because such girls are one in a million and will excel at and love whatever sport she is encouraged to do. Babe Didrikson was an athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field loved playing all of them. I don't believe she played tennis but, if she had, she would have an outstanding tennis player. However, if you know you daughter will be tall; you should know she will never excel at gymnastics.

[Makeushiver]

The problem with basketball is height being increasingly important as you get older. I think it depends on her personality what her strengths are etc. If it's important that she succeeds p[professionally 2I'd choose a sport that's not very popular. Nobody heard of Lacrosse hen I was at uni. 5 years later a lot pf people. OI knew were getting full ride scholarships. As far as I know there are no professional Lacrosse teams. I played baseball, football, and some basketball though mostly JV. It never crossed my mind to seek a scholarship or play professionally. These sports are nowhere near as popular now, There were tons of kids vying for very few scholarships and most pf them had been training professional off season suggest to ensure she makes most of the decision. It doesn't happen with women> girls nearly as much but the cliche about fathers trying too convince their kids to play whatever sport they did in school and the kids- even those who actually wanted to play didn't like Dad vicariously reliving their youth through them. What I said about the big 3 sports is not really true in the case of basketball that's still increasing. Football s very affected due the expense of high school football teams, insurance is incredibly expensive. Baseball just is withering and it was my favorite.

[slatyb]

Tennis or golf. No other sports come close.

[lottiebannotie]

It's a interesting question depends if you are focusing on earning potential or enjoyment and achievements

[collie22]

If I get a daughter that would be amazing and probably she would be a fatalistic hockey girl

[HighValue]

The reason women tennis players do better financially than other women's sports is because they don't hate men and alienate fans so people can enjoy watching.

Women's soccer was finally starting to gain fans, but then they came off with all the feminist and BLM political stuff that made people not want to watch.

I'd encourage her to play tennis or a fighting sport like mma or kickboxing.

[Adaeva]

Norway‘s women’s beach handball team protested wearing uniforms more skimpy than the men. However, most women athletes don't mind wearing skimpy uniforms it it sell more tickets. Money is a big motivator and so is winning. World class female figure skaters wear sexy outfits because they know they are beautiful and it help them win. When the difference between first and second place is often only a couple points out of several hundred points, if they dressed like the men, they know the judges would score them a few points less. To help them win sometime, they wear outfits that changes color during the competition.

[abc3643]

Whatever one she wanted but that I retain veto power over any sport that has a too-high-for-me probability of life-altering injury so as a broken neck or paralysis.

For health reasons, I'd encourage swimming or water polo if she was already inclined to want to do that.

[Adam1978]

None, she is five, she can't be an exceptional athlete at that age. She can join what she wishes and I deem okay. I am not going to be one of those toxic parents that tries to live their dreams through their kid. She is suppose to have fun, if she get good at something great, but it isn't a requirement.

[NamerOfStars]

Well, what does she like? The odds of any person, even a skilled one, becoming a professional are quite low, especially at that age. But it's not like you can't enjoy something even if you're not good at it, and exercise has its own benefits, too.

From a purely pragmatic viewpoint, I'd probably suggest something like caber tossing; you're a shoe-in to win the gold medal if there are no other competitors!

[kellytheman]

Probably not a high contact sport so boxing/MMA fight be out of the question. I think teenis or golf would be nice maybe some kind of Olympic sport like gymnastics or swimming and track. Maybe not basketball just cause most women don't get paid as well. I be pretty happy what ever skirt she picks as long it won't get her hurt.

[exitseven]

I would want her to concentrate on academics, go to a good college and have a lucrative career. Only 1 in ten thousand ever make it to the pros.

[Adaeva]

And, less than 1 in a million earn big money.

[msc545]

Maybe swimming although I was a competitive swimmer and the competitive nature of it removed all the fun for me.

[TheVigilantFox]

I’d let her play whatever sport she wanted and I would be proud of her.


It’s her choice not mine.

[RavVid]

What she wants to play. I don't It should be planned out for a 5 yo.

[Adaeva]

By age 5 you will know if she is elite athlete. Not one teenager or adult in 100 (likely not one in a1,000) can do what Cameron Voorhees could do at age 6 and obviously she started dancing before age 6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sdipnb3llI&t=17s

[msc545]

That was really creepy. What the hell was done to this child, and who did it?

[Adaeva]

@msc545 I don't know what your problem is. There is certainly nothing creepy about learning to be good dancer. She took up ballet to help correct a birth defect called femoral anteversion, which caused her leg to severely turn in. She trained at Evolve Dance Complex growing up.

[msc545]

It just seemed to be too grownup for her.

[RavVid]

@msc545 I likewise feel concerned. From what I understand the child's life becomes a training regime predominantly. With female gymnastics they try to delay puberty. Apart from a lot of natural ability it also takes a lot of obsession to become an elite athlete.

If the obsession comes from the child that is one thing but if it is coming from the parents it is something else. I'm not sure I wouldn't be saying 'Hey kid, its Sunday take a break'.

[msc545]

Exactly.

[loveslongnails]

Golf! If you make the LPGA tour, all you have to do is win one tournament a year, or a few top 10 finishes, and you're set. If you're one of the top players, the sponsor money alone is a lot.

[loveslongnails]

The top women's tennis players do earn the most, but tennis is much harder on your body than golf, and you can earn money will into your 50's playing golf. You can't do that in tennis.

[lightbulb27]

Golf, there's big money there. Softball, basketball, tennis, dirt bike racing.

[NostalgiaSenpi]

How do you even determine that a five year old is an exceptional athlete? They're five. It would be different if they were ten, but five makes no sense.

[Iron_Man]

My former girlfriend played professional football in Miami and I encouraged her to do that for my daughter. I probably would put her in professional tennis.

[Iron_Man]

But I don’t have any children

[genericname85]

i'd highly advise her to keep sport a hobby and have a proper career tbh...

[SpokenTruth]

No I would not and it would be the same answer for a five year old son.

[msc545]

Sandbox. Small children should not play athletics. Both their bodies and minds are not mature enough.

[AngryCarl2]

One that she likes, and is good at. That way I can live vicariously through her success.

[driven159]

the sport she likes not what one makes the most money but the one that makes her happy

[Anonymous]

No one watches women’s sports.

which is why men’s leagues have to pay to keep them alive.

[LazerBean]

Well it's a 5 year old, so whatever she wants.

[Anonymous]

any that they want

[Jamie05rhs]

Whatever she wants! :)

[Guardian45]

The one she likes best!

[KrakenAttackin]

Whatever she wanted to play.

[Fuentes]

Basketball 🏀

[TrillXHippy]

Whatever she likes best

[notwoke]

teach her to be good at serving a man

[This_Is_My_Opinion8]

I knew I was going to find this token dude somewhere

[riverrat3]

I would encourage her to try them all

[aoihewgf]

Golf or tennis

[LemiaOfThunder]

Football/Soccer

[Luopio27]

Whatever she wants.

[Anonymous]

Tennis