NSGA’s 2026 Edition of its Annual Sports Participation Study found 49 sports/activities, or 80 percent of the 61 tracked, showed increases in participation for 2025 compared to the prior year. Flag football, cheerleading, tennis, golf, pickleball, and hiking were among the sports seeing the strongest increases.

The industry’s longest-standing participation study saw increases in 9 of 10 segments, including team, individual, indoor, outdoor, and wheel sports, tracked by the NSGA. Five sports added to this year’s report also showed participation growth.

“We are thrilled to see the continued across-the-board growth of more people enjoying the mental and physical benefits of participating in many different sports,” said Nick Rigitano, NSGA Director of Insights and Analysis. “It is good to see people are still prioritizing sports and athleisure activities even during a year that was filled with economic uncertainty. It’s an encouraging sign for retailers, team dealers and manufacturers that consumers’ enthusiasm for participating in sports has not waned.”

Key Takeaways from NSGA’s 2026 Participation Report:

  • Two of the top team sports with participation increases were flag football and cheerleading, at nearly 14 percent. They were part of a 4 percent increase in total participation points (TPPs) for the segment, helping offset small declines in touch football and softball.
  • The individual sports segment was up about 4 percent thanks to strong gains by tennis, golf and pickleball.
  • The indoor activities segment increased about 6 percent, bolstered by a 10 percent gain in table tennis.
  • The outdoor segment also showed a 3.3 percent increase, led by hiking, which reached a new total of 57.7 million participants.
  • Bike riding and inline roller skating drove a 3 percent increase in the wheel sports segment.
  • While the fitness segment was down slightly, Pilates received a boost in participation, helped by almost 7,500 new Pilates/Yoga studios registered in 2025.
  • Five sports were added to the 2026 report: Competitive Dance Team/Orchesis/Pom Squad in the team segment, and Cross-Training, Dance-Oriented Fitness, High Intensity Interval Training, and In-Home Video/App Workouts in the fitness segment. All five showed participation increases compared to 2024.

Image courtesy High School OT