Youth sports study finds boys are playing less while girls’ participation is rising

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of children and teens participating in sports overall has increased, even as boys’ participation has declined, according to an annual study released Wednesday.

Girls’ participation was at its highest level since at least 2012, due in part to the phenomenal rise in popularity of University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who became a star of “Indiana Fever,” which led to youth wanting to play basketball, according to research at the Aspen Institute.

The group reported that the U.S. Census Bureau’s National Survey of Children’s Health found that 53.8% of youth ages 6 to 17 participated in sports in 2022.

The Sports and Fitness Industry Association, which tracks youth participation in a variety of sports, found in 2023 that the number of young people regularly participating in team sports increased by 6%, which it said was the highest ever (39.8 %) since 2015.

However, SFIA data showed that in 2023, only 41% of boys regularly participated in sports, down from 10 years ago when half of all boys took part.

Federal government data also shows a decline in the number of boys over the past decade, although not as steep, according to the study.

In 2023, 34 percent of girls ages 6–12 and 38 percent of girls ages 13–17 were participating in sports, higher levels than in any recent year since at least 2012.

Tom Cove, SFIA senior adviser and former president/CEO, said the changes were significant and “it’s a mystery to me why.”

Cove suggested that assembling teams had become more difficult and that when boys didn’t make the roster, they stopped playing. Girls, he said, do not get their hair cut as often as boys.

“I think youth sports have become a self-fulfilling prophecy with travel and competition, and when you get cut, there aren’t enough places to play,” Cove said.

Black children are participating in sports less than before, while Latino participation is increasing. SFIA data shows that 35% of black youth ages 6 to 17 played sports regularly in 2023, up from 45% in 2013, when black children played more often than their white peers. In 2023, white, Hispanic and Asian American children played sports at higher rates than black youth.

The increase in girls’ numbers can be partially attributed to Clark’s performance on the court, the study said.

“Her long range is an inspiration to young players and has the potential to change the women’s game in much the same way NBA star Stephen Curry changed the men’s game more than a decade ago,” the study said.

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