In light of the 2008 Beijing Games, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) has conducted and released studies gauging American interest of and participation in two of the country’s most popular activities-swimming and basketball.

According to the study, there are 18,694,000 fitness/competitive swimmers in the U.S., and 43% of them are 35 or older. Likewise, almost 20% of swimmers classify themselves as “frequent” swimmers (those who swim more than 100 times a year), and half of these frequent swimmers are female.

SMGA research also found that 46% of all swimmers live in cities with at lease 2 million people and a third of them have a college degree or higher.

Concerning crossover appeal, the top three “other” athletic appeal for swimmers are aquatic exercise, bicycling, and basketball, respectively. In 2007, the wholesale sales of swimwear were $2.432 billion-ranking it third behind outerwear and shirts/tops.
“At TYR, sales of our competitive swimwear apparel for both males and females are up by 15% this year,” said David Miller, vice president of sales at competitive swimwear supplier TYR.

Moreover, SMGA reports that basketball ranks as the number one team sports in the U.S. Likewise, of the 26 million American’s who participate in basketball, 70% say they play at least 13 days of the year. Reportedly, 43% of all players are under the age of 18 and 44% come from households with income of more $75,000 per year. 43% of all basketball players reside in cities with populations of at least 2 million people.

“Since 57% of all players are over the age of 18, that’s proof that players, especially men, are finding opportunities to play beyond their college years,” said SGMA President Tom Cove.

Concerning crossover appeal, basketball players rank their “other” pursuits as bowling, fitness walking, running, billiards, and bicycling, respectively.