Rec Sports
Youth Sports Hits Record Participation, But 46% Cost Surge and Widening Income Gap Threaten Growth
Key Takeaways
- Youth sports participation recovered to 55.4% in 2023, the highest rate since before COVID, with 65% of kids trying sports at least once in 2024.
- Average family spending jumped 46% since 2019 to $1,016 annually, twice the rate of overall U.S. inflation during the same period.
- The participation gap between low-income and high-income households widened from 13.6 percentage points in 2012 to 20.2 points in 2024.
- Flag football grew 14% in regular youth participation from 2019 to 2024, the only team sport tracked to show growth during that period.
- Fourteen states reached the federal government’s 63% participation target, with Vermont leading at 72% and Nevada trailing at 43%.
The Aspen Institute’s State of Play 2025 report delivers a clear message: youth sports bounced back from the pandemic, but the rebound masks growing fractures in access, affordability, and equity across the $54 billion industry.
Released annually by the Sports & Society Program’s Project Play initiative, the report draws from federal data, industry surveys, and parent research to analyze how well children are being served by the adults building youth sports programs. The 2025 findings reveal an ecosystem experiencing record participation alongside record costs, with implications that will shape the market through 2030 and beyond.
Post-Pandemic Rebound Defies Historical Precedent
According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, 55.4% of youth ages 6-17 played organized sports in 2023, up from 53.8% in 2022. Industry data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association shows even stronger momentum in 2024, with 65% of kids trying sports at least once during the year.
The recovery matters because it didn’t have to happen. After the 2009 recession, participation rates fell and never returned to pre-recession levels. Municipal budgets got cut, local recreation programs suffered, and private sport providers flourished while leaving many kids behind.
This time, casual participation surged. Sixty-five percent of youth ages 6-17 tried sports at least once in 2024, up from 59% in 2021 and the highest rate recorded by SFIA since at least 2012. The shift reflects how pro leagues and operators adapted post-COVID to offer more informal, lower-commitment options. The NFL’s investment in flag football through RCX Sports exemplifies this trend.
“The rebound in participation since the pandemic is a credit to all who have innovated to improve access to quality sport programs,” said Tom Farrey, executive director of the Sports & Society Program. “But we’re going to need leadership to ensure that as more money flows into the space, the needs of children, all children, are prioritized.”
The Cost Crisis Intensifies
The average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on their child’s primary sport in 2024, a 46% increase since 2019. That’s twice the rate of price inflation in the broader economy during the same period.
Higher team registration fees, travel costs for non-local competition, and spending on camps and private instruction all contributed to the increase. Baseball emerged as the most expensive of the three most popular sports, costing more on average than soccer or basketball.
The timing adds complexity. The report’s data came before President Trump’s tariffs and the federal government shutdown, both of which could further impact family budgets. In 2024, $6.27 billion worth of sporting goods imported into the U.S. came from China, accounting for 61% of these imports.
After the 2017 tariffs, physical inactivity rates for households earning less than $25,000 jumped from 45% to 47% in one year, according to SFIA. The organization’s CEO, Todd Smith, told ESPN that the increase was directly related to tariffs. “We, as an industry, sports and fitness offer a free remedy to try and minimize healthcare costs,” Smith said, “so why would we create more barriers to accessibility and entry into activities?”
Children are noticing the burden too. Project Play’s community surveys show more kids citing “too expensive” as what they dislike most about sports. One student told The New York Times his family paid $500 to $700 per month for his team. “A lot of time I would feel pressure to make sure I do well because it costs so much money and if I played badly my parents would be disappointed.”
Participation Gap Widens Along Income Lines
In 2012, 35.5% of kids ages 6-17 from homes earning under $25,000 regularly played sports compared to 49.1% from homes earning $100,000 or more, a difference of 13.6 percentage points. By 2024, that gap had widened to 20.2 percentage points.
Federal data tells a similar story. Children from the lowest-income homes played sports in 2023 at half the rate of those from the highest-income group.
The Aspen Institute’s parent survey found that children from the wealthiest households play their primary sport more frequently than their peers across community settings, schools, travel teams, and independent training. Kids from homes earning $100,000 or more are two times more likely to play travel sports than those from homes making under $50,000.
The one exception is free play, where the pattern reverses. Children from the lowest-income homes and those in urban environments engage in unstructured play more than the wealthiest children and those living in the suburbs.
Flag Football Outpaces All Team Sports
From 2019 to 2024, flag football was the only team sport tracked by SFIA that experienced growth in regular participation among kids ages 6-17. Flag grew 14% while baseball dropped 19%, tackle football fell 7%, soccer declined 3%, and basketball slipped 2%.
Among kids ages 6-12, flag surpassed tackle as the most commonly played form of football in 2017. The gap continues to widen, with 4% playing flag in 2024 versus 2.7% playing tackle. Among teenagers 13-17, tackle (6.4%) still significantly outpaces flag (2.8%).
NFL FLAG now serves more than 620,000 youth ages 4-17 across 50 states. Twenty-eight states either sanction girls’ high school flag football or are running pilot programs. In October, the NFL announced plans to launch professional women’s and men’s flag leagues ahead of the sport’s debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The sport’s rise is affecting soccer participation. In 2012, soccer exceeded flag by 6.4 percentage points among kids ages 6-12. By 2024, soccer’s advantage had shrunk to 3.5 percentage points, a shift that has some soccer leaders concerned about losing would-be players to flag.
Latino Youth Drive Fastest Demographic Growth
For years, Latino youth played sports at lower rates than their peers. That changed recently based on SFIA data. In 2024, 65% of Latino youth ages 6-17 tried sports at least once, a higher rate than Black and White youth.
Participation among Latina girls rose from 39.5% in 2019 to 48.4% in 2024, outpacing the growth of their non-Latina peers, according to McKinsey Institute research. The increase is attributed to greater representation of Latinas in college and pro sports, along with targeted programs from organizations like ELLA Sports Foundation, Girls on the Run, Sports 4 Life, and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
“When young girls feel represented, they are empowered to dream and to succeed in life,” said Patty Godoy, co-founder of ELLA Sports Foundation. “This representation is inspiring and motivating for young Latinas to play sports and stay in sports.”
Challenges remain. Latino parents cite scheduling conflicts more than non-Latinos as a barrier. Research by McKinsey and U.S. Soccer Federation found that Latino and Black children are three times more likely than White children to stop playing soccer because they feel unwelcome.
The report also documents impacts from immigration enforcement. A Stanford University study found that recent raids in California’s Central Valley coincided with a 22% increase in daily student absences. Media accounts from 2025 describe decreased attendance across summer sports programs in parts of Los Angeles after raids, and the Oregon Youth Soccer Association reported that as many as 16 teams withdrew from Portland competition after people reported ICE activity in community parks.
Coaching Training Reaches One Million
The Million Coaches Challenge reached a milestone in 2025 when its cohort of partners trained one million youth coaches across the U.S. in evidence-based youth development practices. Research shows that 93% of coaches trained by the program feel more confident in their ability to support youth, and their athletes report more joy, stronger relationships, and higher likelihood to continue playing.
The U.S. Tennis Association introduced a comprehensive coaching platform in 2025 that offers four membership tiers ranging from free to $249 annually. Benefits include equipment discounts from 20% to 50%, liability insurance, telehealth access, career counseling, and flexible education modules that coaches can complete in 20-minute sessions.
“Research shows that people aren’t attracted to coaching as a career anymore, and we need to change that,” said Craig Morris, USTA Coaching CEO. “We need to work with facility owners and operators to put value on coaches who are educated and have a growth mindset.”
Strategic Implications for Operators
The report identifies several trends that will define the youth sports landscape through 2026 and beyond. NIL deals are trickling down to middle school athletes, with one eighth-grader in Washington D.C. signing sponsorship deals and hiring an agent. AI-powered analytics platforms are reaching younger age groups, with some organizations offering video analysis and performance tracking for 8- and 9-year-olds at costs around $300 annually.
Fourteen states reached the federal government’s 63% participation target in 2023. Achieving that goal nationwide by 2030 could save the U.S. $80 billion in direct medical costs and productivity losses while delivering over 1.8 million more quality years of life to Americans, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Illinois created the nation’s first statewide youth sports commission in 2025, focused on quality, access, and equity. California is studying whether to establish a Department of Youth Sports. The Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports gained endorsements from the U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and National Recreation and Park Association.
The data shows an industry at a crossroads. Participation is up, but so are costs and inequities. How operators, municipalities, brands, and policymakers respond to these tensions will determine whether youth sports becomes more accessible or more exclusive in the years ahead.
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