NEW YORK (AP) -- City girls start playing sports at a later age and have less opportunities than city boys "who seem to come first," according to a report released Thursday by the Women's Sports Foundation.
In the suburbs, though, things are much more equal.
     "We really need to tap the potential of sports to help kids develop healthy lives," said report author Don Sabo, a WSF board of trustee from 1993-2000. "We're doing the least effective job for urban girls."
     The foundation, an advocacy group for women in sports, worked with Harris Interactive to survey 2,185 third- through 12th-graders and 863 parents. The study was developed through a collaboration between the foundation and the Center for Research on Physical Activity, Sport & Health at D'Youville College in Buffalo, N.Y. Sabo, a sociology professor, is director of the center.
     The study aimed to measure kids' participation in exercise and organized team sports. Although the report said a gender gap remains, it blamed the disparity on several factors, including race, economic inequalities and school location.
City girls with a family income of $35,000 or less enter sports on average at 10.2 years old compared to 7.6 for boys, the report said.
     Physical activity among city girls also lags well behind their male counterparts, according to the report. In urban areas, 59 percent of third to fifth grade girls were involved in at least one sport, compared to 80 percent of city boys. That compared to 81 percent participation for suburban girls and 89 percent for suburban boys.
     Many suburban girls' interest in sports and opportunities to play was on par with boys. And Sabo said that greater parity shows the gender gap can be closed.
     "A level playing field exists for suburban boys and girls," Sabo said. "However, urban communities are often faced with a lack of space and resources. When funds for sports are found, boys seem to come first."
     The survey also looked at sports participation among disabled and immigrant youth.
     About 9 percent of families reported having a child with a disability. Although more than two-thirds of parents said their children would be interested in playing, 38 percent said no athletic opportunities existed.