The 2016 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report, released by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), revealed that overall team sports participation reached its highest point since 2011, while core participation declined.
All data included in the 2016 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report was collected in 2015.
SFIA said in its statement that the shift from core to causal participation marks one of the most significant changes in American sports over the past 10 years.
“It’s a paradox, because we know that specialization is driving up participation intensity for many athletes, but those same factors also seem to be driving other people away,” said Tom Cove, SFIA president & CEO. The changing landscape of how people participate has benefited niche sports like lacrosse, rugby, roller hockey and field hockey, which are continuing to experience the greatest participation increase over the past five years.
Encouragingly, team sports participation saw a positive one-year growth in traditional team sports such as basketball (+1.5 percent), baseball (4.3 percent) and tackle football (4.1 percent). SFIA attributed those gains to effort by the four major sports leagues, various non-profits, people in the health and medical field and the media to combat the declining numbers in youth activity.
“Increased numbers of total participants present a great opportunity for our industry and our companies,” said Cove. “Experiencing the sports has to be the first step – now the key is to keep them and build interest in commitment to play.”
The 2016 U.S Trends in Team Sports Report also contains an interview with Tom Farrey, executive director, Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, discussing the Aspen Institute State of Play Report and a 2016 consumer spending & sales analysis.
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