A comprehensive examination of youth sports participation in the United States over the past six decades reveals a notable rise in children engaging in organized sports, especially among families with greater socioeconomic advantages.
A comprehensive examination of youth sports participation in the United States over the past six decades reveals a notable rise in children engaging in organized sports, especially among families with greater socioeconomic advantages.
A national survey indicated that approximately 70% of individuals born in the 1990s and who turned 18 by the 2015-16 school year reported having participated in organized sports through recreational leagues, schools, or club teams. This finding highlights a consistent upward trend in organized sports participation across generations. In contrast, just over half of those born in the 1950s reported involvement in organized youth sports.
The study also identified significant differences across generations in terms of sports participation.
For children born in the 1950s, participation in organized sports did not vary by social class. However, for those born in the 1990s, the likelihood of playing organized sports was 24 percentage points higher among those with a college-educated parent compared to those without such educational background.
“Childhood social class plays a crucial role in determining access to organized sports, a trend that has become more pronounced in recent years,” stated Chris Knoester, the lead author of the study and a sociology professor at The Ohio State University.
“Our findings indicate that affluent families are actively using their advantages to invest in their children’s participation in organized sports, which can provide significant benefits,” he added.
Knoester collaborated with Chris Bjork, a professor of education at Vassar, on this study, which was recently published in the journal Leisure/Loisir.
This research contributes a detailed analysis of how youth sports participation patterns have evolved over the past 60 years—an area that has not been comprehensively explored previously, according to Knoester.
The study utilized data from the National Sports and Society Survey, conducted by Ohio State in 2018 and 2019. It included a sample of 3,935 adults nationwide who answered questions regarding their sports participation during childhood.
The fact that youth from affluent families are increasingly prevalent in organized sports reflects the growing privatization of the youth sports sector, increased parental involvement, and the significant rise of club sports, as noted by the researchers.
“Starting in the 1980s, there has been a significant decline in public support for extracurricular activities in schools, including sports,” cited Bjork.
“One consequence of this is the expansion of club sports, which can be quite costly, placing it out of reach for many families.”
According to Project Play by the Aspen Institute, the average family spent $883 annually on a child’s primary sport in 2022.
For many privileged families, participating in organized and, particularly, private club sports is viewed as a means for their children to excel in a sport, paving the way for potential college scholarships and future success, Knoester explained.
However, he expressed concern that the high cost restricts access for numerous families.
One encouraging trend documented by the study is the increase in girls participating in youth sports, remarked Knoester.
Among girls born in the 1950s and growing up in the 1960s, only about 45% took part in organized sports, significantly lagging behind boys. By the 1990s, however, around 70% of girls were actively participating, reaching parity with boys.
This shift can largely be attributed to Title IX, a federal law enacted in 1972 that forbids sex-based discrimination in schools, including in sports.
“This law greatly increased the number of girls involved in sports,” Knoester noted.
The impact of this change was evident during the recent Olympic Games in Paris, where the U.S. won 126 medals, the highest total of any country, with women claiming 67 of those medals. Interestingly, if U.S. women were considered a separate nation, they would have secured third place in the overall medal tally, behind only the U.S. and China.
“Title IX and the surge in girls’ sports participation truly set the foundation for what we observed in Paris this summer, illustrating the dominance of U.S. female athletes,” Knoester remarked.
Another vital finding from the study is the increase in the number of youth who start playing organized sports but quit before reaching adulthood.
For those born in the 1950s, just over 50% of children who began playing organized sports dropped out before turning 18. In contrast, over 70% of those born in the 1990s who started participating in organized sports dropped out before reaching adulthood. It has become more usual for children to play sports and then quit rather than to play consistently or to remain uninvolved throughout childhood.
A previous study by Knoester and his team indicated that many children drop out due to a lack of enjoyment or feelings of inadequacy as players. This study suggests that the issue may be worsening for newer generations, Knoester stated.
The trend of more youth leaving sports could be related to the rise of club sports and the pressures children face to excel, the researchers observed.
“Essentially, there has been a major shift in the perception of sports, moving from being viewed as a source of fun, friendship, and life lessons to being seen as a means of advancement in life,” Bjork remarked.
There is a pressing need to restore youth sports as a positive and inclusive aspect of society that enables all children to achieve health goals, forge friendships, and learn teamwork skills, according to Knoester.
“We must discover methods to keep kids engaged and loving the game, without the overly competitive, high-pressure, and costly environment that seems to dominate today,” he concluded.
