Pittsburgh teams mark National Girls and Women in Sports Day by packaging gear for student athletes

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Wednesday marked National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and to recognize it, Pittsburgh's professional sports organizations teamed up to support young female athletes with essential gear, lessening a barrier that prevents girls from playing sports.

"It is so important to have the right equipment," said 11th grader Haven Sams, the swim team captain at Carrick High School.

When it comes to having the proper gear, she doesn't just need swimsuits, but also sports bras when she hits the gym, and they're not cheap.

"This is one of those things that not a lot of people would think about to provide," Sams said.

It's why the Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Riverhounds and the new Riveters came together at Acrisure Stadium to package sports bras for female athletes at Pittsburgh Public Schools. They gave out 500 bras total to girls on various sports teams, with a focus on flag football.

"To make sure that girls are able to feel confident and able to compete at the highest level, and also to make sure that the sport is as equitable as possible," said Blayre Holmes Davis, the senior director of community relations with the Steelers.

It's all thanks to a partnership with the nonprofit, Operation Warm and its FLY:FWD initiative, launched in 2023 with the Philadelphia Eagles after learning many young girls, especially those of diverse backgrounds, are not participating in football due to the lack of sports bras.

In fact, 40 percent of women don't take part in sports, with more than one million fewer sports opportunities for high school girls than boys.

"It's ensuring that they feel comfortable participating in gym class, that they can just participate and stay active with their friends for their physical well-being, as well as increasing their positive body image," said Lindsay Grassia, the partnerships director for Operation Warm.

The organization has seen the impact. According to data from Operation Warm, in a survey, 86 percent of athletic directors who received sports bras for their school saw a rise in interest in sports programs.

Now here in Pittsburgh, the hope is to keep the partnership going year after year, to continue empowering girls like Sams.

"It's an honor to be able to participate in a sport and to get things like this that will help me, other players, and other teams be able to perform better," Sams said.