Overall participation in U.S. sports, fitness and related physical activity leveled or slightly dropped from ’10 to ’11, according to recent data from SGMA. Individual, team and winter sports lost 1% of participants, while racquet sports lost 2%. Among team sports, wrestling saw the sharpest drop, down 22.3% from last year. Gymnastics saw the biggest jump among team sports (+9.2%). Listed below are participation levels for select sports over the last three years. Online interviews were conducted during January and February among a sample size of 38,172 (SGMA).
| U.S. SPORTS PARTICIPATION AMONG INDIVIDUALS AGES 6+ |
| SPORT | '11 (000) | '10 (000) | 1-YR % +/- | '09 (000) | 2-YR % +/- |
| AEROBIC ACTIVITIES |
| Running/jogging | 50,061 | 46,650 | 7.3% | 42,511 | 17.8% |
| High-impact aerobics | 15,755 | 14,567 | 8.2% | 12,771 | 23.4% |
| Stationary cycling (group) | 8,738 | 7,854 | 11.3% | 6,762 | 29.2% |
| CONDITIONING ACTIVITIES |
| Yoga | 22,107 | 20,998 | 5.3% | 18,934 | 16.8% |
| INDIVIDUAL SPORTS |
| Bowling | 53,906 | 56,585 | -4.7% | 57,972 | -7.0% |
| Golf | 25,682 | 26,122 | -1.7% | 27,103 | -5.2% |
| RACQUET SPORTS |
| Tennis | 17,772 | 18,719 | -5.1% | 18,546 | -4.2% |
| Racquetball | 4,357 | 4,603 | -5.3% | 4,784 | -8.9% |
| TEAM SPORTS |
| Basketball | 24,790 | 25,156 | -1.5% | 25,131 | -1.4% |
| Outdoor soccer | 13,667 | 13,883 | -1.6% | 13,957 | -2.1% |
| Baseball | 13,561 | 14,198 | -4.5% | 14,429 | -6.0% |
| Slow-pitch softball | 7,809 | 8,477 | -7.9% | 9,180 | -14.9% |
| Indoor volleyball | 6,662 | 7,315 | -8.9% | 7,737 | -13.9% |
| Tackle Football | 6,448 | 6,850 | -5.9% | 7,243 | -11.0% |
| Flag Football | 6,325 | 6,660 | -5.0% | 6,932 | -8.8% |
| Ultimate frisbee | 4,868 | 4,571 | 6.5% | 4,636 | 5.0% |
| Gymnastics | 4,824 | 4,418 | 9.2% | 3,952 | 22.1% |
| Indoor soccer | 4,631 | 4,920 | -5.9% | 4,825 | -4.0% |
| Track & field | 4,341 | 4,383 | -1.0% | 4,480 | -3.1% |
| Fast-pitch softball | 2,400 | 2,513 | -4.5% | 2,476 | -3.1% |
| Ice hockey | 2,131 | 2,140 | -0.4% | 2,018 | 5.6% |
| Wrestling | 1,971 | 2,536 | -22.3% | 3,170 | -37.8% |
| Lacrosse | 1,501 | 1,423 | 5.5% | 1,162 | 29.2% |
| WINTER SPORTS |
| Skiing (downhill/alpine) | 10,853 | 11,212 | -3.2% | 10,633 | 2.1% |
| Snowboarding | 7,888 | 7,809 | 1.0% | 7,290 | 8.2% |
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SOUNDS EXPENSIVE: The N.Y. TIMES looks at the growing marketplace for youth sports under the header, "Big Price Tags Attached To Even The Littlest Leagues," as "some parents now pay tens of thousands of dollars a year for youth sports." As of this morning, the story was among the most-read and most-emailed stories on NYTIMES.com (THE DAILY).
