The State of Sports Participation in America
Key Takeaways
- Basketball, soccer and football are the most popular youth sports, according to parents surveyed by Morning Consult.
- Youth sports participation varies greatly along income lines: Relative to their lower-earning counterparts, parents making $100,000 or more annually are, on average, roughly twice as likely to say their child(ren) plays every sport that Morning Consult tracks.
- While athletic pursuits have long been an important part of life for American children, they are becoming increasingly central to adulthood too. Between 2021 and 2025, the share of U.S. adults who say they exercise or play sports at least once weekly grew 15 percentage points, from 43% to 58%.
Last summer, we wrote that Americans were on a sports kick thanks to their increasing attendance at professional sporting events and more frequent engagement with sports media properties like ESPN.
Though another year has passed, new Morning Consult data from our Intelligence platform — which collects millions of interviews about demographics, psychographics and consumption habits every day — reveals that this enthusiasm for all things athletic is still going strong, particularly when it comes to exercise and recreational sports. Plus, it’s held by both children and adults alike.
The state of (children’s) play
According to parents surveyed by Morning Consult, roughly 1 in 3 (29%) children played basketball at some point between August 2024 and August 2025, making it today’s most popular youth sport. Soccer and football were close behind, with both being played by approximately 1 in 4 (26%) kids over the same period.
Basketball, soccer, and football are kids' most-played sports
That said, youth sports participation varies greatly along income lines: Relative to their lower-earning counterparts, parents making $100,000 or more annually are, on average, about twice as likely to say their child(ren) plays every sport that Morning Consult tracks.
Such a gap has always existed to some extent, but it's undoubtedly become much larger in recent years alongside the rapid professionalization of youth sports, which has made things like extensive travel schedules and expensive training the norm. The NCAA’s recent updating of its name, image and likeness guidelines has also now made it legal (in most states) for students as young as middle school to earn money from sponsorship deals.
In addition to exacerbating the participation disparity between children of low and high-earning parents, these developments are poised to turn youth sports into a major advertising medium. And while tween soccer stars as sought-after spokespeople may sound far-fetched for now, the notion becomes more plausible when considering the surging popularity of sports among all Americans, regardless of age.
The sports spike continues
According to Morning Consult Intelligence data, the share of U.S. adults who say they exercise or play sports at least once per week has been steadily rising since the pandemic. In 2021, this figure was 43%; today, it’s 58%.
Americans keep getting sportier
Growth on this metric is observed with relative parity across all genders and generations, but the jumps have been largest among Gen Z adults (+18 percentage points) and men (+16 percentage points). These two groups saw the biggest increases (+3 percentage points) within just the past year, too. Related behaviors like making frequent athletic apparel purchases are also on the rise among the general population and most demographics.
These movements are inextricably linked to another cultural shift that Morning Consult has been tracking as of late, which is that Americans are increasingly orienting their leisure time choices around physical and mental health goals.
For example, when asked about the activities they are doing less and more of compared to a year ago, U.S. adults reported ditching traditional nightlife pursuits like drinking and clubbing in favor of wellness-focused behaviors like hiking and workout classes.
With self-optimization content so prevalent on social media, the trend is unlikely to slow down any time soon. Plus, between the rise of run clubs and pickleball parties, sports are also becoming social lifelines — especially for Gen Zers, who are both uniquely wellness obsessed and challenged by meeting new people and making meaningful connections.
Fortunately, consumers' fitness fixation is fertile marketing ground for most consumer brands; Tying a product to a personal development outcome is sure to pique interest, as is supporting perennially popular sports content online or having a presence at an in-real-life wellness event.
To properly future-proof, however, companies should always monitor the activities that are most popular among the youngest generations. Fandom is one of the few remaining cultural unifiers, and when it comes to sports, these alliances are typically formed very early.
Ellyn Briggs is a brands analyst on the Industry Intelligence team, where she conducts research, authors analyst notes and advises brand and marketing leaders on how to apply insights to make better business decisions. Prior to joining Morning Consult, Ellyn worked as a market researcher and brand strategist in both agency and in-house settings. She graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in finance. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected].
