Women are more susceptible to ACL tears ACL tear is now considered an epidemic in the United States, with over 100,000 cases reported each year (Moeller). While such a finding may be beneficial for orthopedic doctors and surgeons, it is not good for the millions of athletes who participate in high-intensity sports today. This is particularly a problem for female athletes who are two to four times more likely to tear their ACL than men (Moeller). One of the biggest mysteries about ACL tears is the difference between the number of injuries seen in women and men. Women tend to tear the ACL much more frequently than men. Although not everyone agrees that sex itself is the source of the problem, there is growing evidence that women are learning too late that playing sports can also become the first step towards ruining an active lifestyle. Despite this, the rate of ACL injuries is almost equal at all levels of sport, from beginner to recreational athletes to professional athletes. The most widely publicized ACL injury incident was that of Theresa Edwards, a high-performance female athlete. She was a basketball player who pushed the sport to its limits. She went beyond her capabilities and her ligament could not withstand the pressure and broke. She is not the only one but just one example among many who suffered from the same problem. As female athletes become more competitive and aggressive, damage to the ACL continues to increase. For athletes to maintain their active lifestyle, they must understand the ACL. The ACL is the most important ligament in the knee because it provides stability to the knee. Athletes must be aware of the importance of the ACL and know its functions in order to preserve the ligament. The ACL, otherwise known as the anterior cruciate ligament, is the knee ligament that connects the upper leg bone, which is the femur, to the lower leg bone, which is the tibia. The anterior cruciate ligament crosses the posterior cruciate ligament inside the center of the knee joint to stabilize the moving knee..