Sporty Spice had the most Girl Power after all.

There's an interesting article in the New York Times talking about how girls involved in high school sports tend to do better later in life.

Almost four decades after the federal education law called Title IX opened the door for girls to participate in high school and college athletics, a crucial question has remained unanswered: Do sports make a long-term difference in a woman’s life?

A large body of research shows that sports are associated with all sorts of benefits, like lower teenage pregnancy rates, better grades and higher self-esteem. But until now, no one has determined whether those improvements are a direct result of athletic participation. It may be that the type of girl who is attracted to sports already has the social, personal and physical qualities — like ambition, strength and supportive parents — that will help her succeed in life.

Now, separate studies from two economists offer some answers, providing the strongest evidence yet that team sports can result in lifelong improvements to educational, work and health prospects. At a time when the first lady, Michelle Obama, has begun a nationwide campaign to improve schoolchildren’s health, the lessons from Title IX show that school-based fitness efforts can have lasting effects.

I think this is great and, frankly, I don't have much glib to say about it. However, some readers out there peruse The Real Fitness Nerd expecting a certain amount of glibness, or at least a modicum of humor, so I will mention that as much as I think all students -- be they female, male or eunuch -- should get exposure to sports in high school, it can be taken to the extreme sometimes. My nephew in Mississippi found himself in an awkward situation recently when, during a junior high school wrestling match, he was paired against a girl wrestler. His desire to win ran headlong into his Southern Gentility and he was soundly thrashed by the wrestlerette.

I'd never want to deny a girl the chance to wrestle, especially given the many career options open to women wrestlers, but sometimes I think there's something to be said for dividing the boys and the girls. That said, a tumble on the mat like that would have been far closer than I ever got to a girl in high school, so 16-year-old me probably would have been all for co-ed wrestling.

What do you think?