Youth sports study finds fewer boys playing, while girls’ participation rises

WASHINGTON (AP) — Children and teens playing sports overall have increased, even as boys’ participation has declined, according to an annual study released Wednesday.

Girls participation was at its highest level since 2012, in part due to the phenomenal rise of University of Iowa-turned-Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who made young people want to play basketball. study from the Aspen Institute.

The group said the National Survey of Children’s Health, administered through the U.S. Census Bureau, found that 53.8 percent of youth ages 6 to 17 played sports in 2022.

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which tracks youth participation by sport, found in 2023 that there was a 6 percent increase in youth regularly participating in a team sport, which it said was the largest rate (39.8%) since 2015.

However, SFIA data found that only 41% of boys regularly participated in sports in 2023, down from 10 years earlier when half of boys participated.

Federal government data also shows a decline for boys over the past decade, though not as steep, according to the study.

Thirty-four percent of girls aged 6-12 participated and 38% of girls aged 13-17 participated in sport in 2023, higher than in any recent year dating back to little since 2012.

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

Cove speculated that making teams has become more difficult and that when guys miss the cut, they quit the game. Girls, he said, are not cut as often as boys.

“My view is that youth sports has become a self-fulfilling prophecy around travel and competition, and there aren’t enough places to play when you’re cut,” Cove said.

Black children play sports less than they once did, while Hispanic participation is on the rise. SFIA data shows 35 percent of black youth ages 6 to 17 regularly participated in sports in 2023, down from 45 percent in 2013, when black kids played at a higher rate than white peers. White, Hispanic, and Asian-American children played sports more often in 2023 than black youth.

The study said the increases among the girls can be attributed in part to Clark’s performance on the field.

“Her deep shooting range inspires younger players and may change the women’s game just as NBA star Stephen Curry changed the men’s game more than a decade ago,” the study said.

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