According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Associations (SGMA) recently released Sports Participation in America report, women represent more than half of the participants in 18 of the 27 fitness activities SGMA studies. The research also found that the peak age of participation in team sports is age 11, as 72% of the children in that age group play at least one team sport.
The study also found that most people who make time for regular exercise are avid enthusiasts, while those who dont exercise consistently cite a list of reasons, including; long days at the office, an addiction to computer-related activities and a lack of interest in exercise.
“The report reinforces the long-term trend of declining casual play with greater activity by the core group of regular and frequent participants. We also see an aging of the activity base in this country as the boomer generation continues to skew older and increases in participation by younger demographics decreases,” said SGMA VP Gregg Hartley.
Meanwhile, the SGMAs Tracking the Fitness Movement report said that the fitness industry saw sales of $4.7 billion at wholesale for 2007, up from $4.2 billion in 2004 and $3.9 billion in 2000. Treadmills were the most popular activity, followed by resistance machines and stationary cycling.
