While 31.6 million U.S. children (age 6-17) participate in team sports on a ‘frequent,’ ‘regular,’ or ‘casual’ basis, nearly 19 million U.S. children do not participate in team sports at all. That’s one of many findings in U.S. Trends in Team Sports (2007 edition), produced by the SGMA.  According to SGMA, team sports participation has consolidated among the most serious players and there’s been a decline in the number of casual/pickup players. 


On the bright side of things, interest in organized/sanctioned team sports is very strong; overall interest by girls/females in team sports at school and in community leagues is showing annual growth; lacrosse and rugby are team sports on the rise; and overall play in high school sports rose for the 18th straight year.  


For the third time in as many years, this major report on team sports in the United States also contains a special report:  Analyzing Team Sports Participation by Age.  


Analyzing Team Sports Participation by Age is a two-part report on nine sports.  In the first part, you can determine the number of participants per sport at any given age.  The second part shows the percentage of people in that age group who participate in that sport.  For instance, 900,000 17-year olds played basketball in 2006 which means 17.9% of all 17-year olds played basketball in 2006.


Also contained in this report are editorial summaries or charts on the following:



  1. Comparing Popularity of Team Sports – (1) top ten most popular sports for high school boys and girls and (2) top six most popular NCAA sports for men and women.

  2. Fan Interest in Team Sports – measures the fan interest in major pro and college sports for people aged 12 and older.

  3. Sales of Team Sports Gear – listed are manufacturers’ sales (at wholesale) of sports equipment for baseball/softball; basketball; soccer; volleyball; football (2006 only); ice hockey (2005 and 2006 only); and lacrosse (2006 only).  Years represented are 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, and 2006.

Listed below are a few of the newsworthy points listed in U.S. Trends in Team Sports:


  • Basketball — 21% of all basketball players are 25-44 years of age…..and 45% of all basketball players are mainly playing pickup/casual games.

  • Court Volleyball – This is the most popular form of volleyball.

  • Grass Volleyball – Only 10% of participants were beginners in 2006.

  • Beach Volleyball – The average age for ‘core’ (those playing 13+ days/year) participants is 27.8 years of age.

  • Slow-Pitch Softball – The average male participant is 33.1 years of age, while the average female participant is 23.4 years of age.

  • Fast-Pitch Softball – 62% of ‘core’ (those playing 13+ days/year) fast-pitch players are under the age of 18, of which 89% are female.

  • Outdoor Soccer – In 1990, there were more than twice as many men’s collegiate teams than women’s collegiate teams.  Now, there are more women’s teams than men’s teams at the collegiate level.

  • Indoor Soccer – The average age of an indoor soccer player is younger than the average age of an outdoor player.

  • Gymnastics – High school participation in gymnastics in 2006-‘07 was 21,175 participants, down from 41,090 in 1985-86.

  • Tackle Football – More than one million boys played high school football in 2006, making it the most popular high school sport for boys.

  • Touch /Flag Football – 40% of all flag/touch football players are between the ages of 18 and 44 – a sign that parents are playing with their children.

  • Baseball — 76% of all baseball players are considered ‘core’ participants – those who play 13 or more days a year – and 73% of those ‘core’ participants are 17 or younger.

  • Cheerleading — Participants are involved an average of 69 days a year.

  • Ice Hockey – Almost as many ice hockey participants are playing the game on a league level as they are in casual/pick-up environment.

  • Field Hockey — The number of girls high school varsity field hockey teams has grown 32% since 1990.

  • Lacrosse – Nearly 40% of all lacrosse players were beginners in 2006.

  • Paintball – 56% of all paintball participants list ‘private property’ as the most often used venue to play the sport.

  • Roller Hockey – More than 200 colleges have club teams for this sport.

  • Rugby – The most popular age group is 18-24 while the second most popular age group is for those aged 35-44.

  • Track and Field – 75% of track and field athletes participate in a school setting.

  • Ultimate Frisbee – 52% of all participants are 18-34 years of age.

  • Wrestling – There are fewer wrestling teams now than in 1990, but participation has been stable since 2000.

Data for this report is derived from various sources – the U.S. Census Bureau, NCAA, NFSHSA, NCYS, Pop Warner Football, AAU, Little League Baseball, USA Volleyball, USA Softball, Dixie Baseball/Softball, PONY Baseball/Softball, Babe Ruth Softball, RBI, American Legion Baseball, American Amateur Baseball Congress, USYSA, USA Hockey, and ESPN Sports Poll.