“That’s all I want in life. Is more,” he told me three years ago. “More time. More life. More music. More games. More reading. More love. More everything. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
There has been so much written and watched about the passing of Bill Walton this week I cannot do it justice to rally together people’s thoughts who knew him well or not. Here is a good link to the best of. However, the quote from Christopher Kamrani’s column from the big redhead himself I thought was the most poignant for those of us…and it should be all of us…wanting to lean forward at any age.
More.
Joy.
Joy is what Bill Walton brought to all around him. It’s what we need to aspire to. Joy. Knowledge. Sharing and growth together. Pay it forward folks.
Speaking of paying it forward. This week we got to listen and learn from the good folks at The Sports & Fitness Industry Association, who put out their 15th annual State of the Industry Report with Sports Marketing Surveys USA. Tom Cove and Glenn Horine always give us valuable information that can lead to really positive storytelling about our industry.
What did we learn?
First and foremost is the reaffirmation that the more we move the better off we are. Get up and get out and it stimulates everything in our being on every level. The piece of glass we stare at for hours on end is important, but showing up, and being present is what is the most valuable thing, and what ultimately can help collectively bring us joy. Every year we learn more and more about how movement helps us heal in ways not thought of by previous generations. Our colleagues at AKTIV Against Cancer have literally fueled the research with Memorial Sloan Kettering that shows how important physical activity is to the healing process, and some of the SFIA numbers bear that out even more. So, get moving.
Back to the survey.
A record 242 million people in the U.S. played a sport or took part in a fitness activity in 2023, led by basketball’s continued popularity and pickleball’s sustained double-digit growth.
In 2023, the total number of active sports and fitness participants in the U.S. hit its highest level ever at 242 million, up 12.1% from 215.8 million in 2016.
That still leaves an opportunity for the industry: 21.2% of the U.S. population who are six and older, which is approximately 65 million, self-reported that they did not do any physical activity last year. That is down significantly from a several-year period leading up to 2019, when the inactivity rate hovered around 27.3%, or approximately 82 million.
Basketball remained the most popular team sport to play as it has in every year of the study, with 29.7 million participants, up 5.6% year-over-year. Baseball was the second most-played sport, as its 16.7 million players was a 7.6% increase over 2022.
Pickleball is the biggest growing sport in the U.S. since 2016, while basketball (the most popular team sport to participate in), tennis and golf have the most participants.
The other four sports that saw the biggest increase in participation since 2020 tend to skew toward younger female athletes and usually involve travel: fast-pitch softball (up 28.3%); indoor volleyball (+27.6%); swimming on a team (+27.3%); and gymnastics (+23.6%).
“The Caitlin Clark effect is definitely going to increase the number of girls who are going to think about playing sports, so it is imperative that the industry makes sure that we are creating a welcoming, safe environment for the new girl athletes,” Cove told Sports Business Journal this week.
Participation in all income ranges continues to increase, with the under $25K group growing the most.
The fastest growing team sport amongst young people? Tackle football. Why? Cove pointed out that there is a youth travelling program for tackle football, and the traditions of putting on the pads in high school continue to outweigh any risks understood. The other key factor is cost. At the high school level, the equipment is provided for the players, so that lessens the barrier to entry.
Then there is flag football. The engine of flag is being driven by the global investment being made by the NFL, the inclusion in the Olympics, and even the recent statement made by the NCAA that flag football for women is n an accelerated path for inclusion as a varsity sport within a few years. Flag leads to tackle for boys by learning the skills needed, and even more so, creates a pathway not available for young women to play the game of American football.
The other sport with big growth on the girl’s side? Wrestling. One of the sports decimated by COVID continues to bounce back, especially for inner city girls, where club programs continue to grow. A sport which needs little equipment and now has found its place in high school and more and more college programs is an the uptick, starting at the grassroots level.
All great news as again, participation, the ability to be around teammates, helps us find joy in what we do.
Lastly another note about getting out and finding joy when you show up.
Early Friday morning I was doing my active thing, walking to the beach a few blocks from our home on Long Beach Island. When I got to the beach, I noticed a roped off area to my left. When I got there, I saw that the area was sealed off because a group of endangered birds, The American Oystercatcher, had decided to nest on the beach. Amidst the backdrop of million-dollar homes abutting the dunes, these little birds had decided to make their own home. How cool for all the kids coming to the beach in the coming weeks. While maybe some may grumble, it was a reminder of how we need balance, and what a joyful thing we were able to discover by taking a walk, like the SFIA suggests, and discovering something, like Bill Walton always looked to do.
More.
Joy. Peace Out.
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