Report Summary
“With more sports to play and more ways to follow, youth sports are coming out of the pandemic with a strong growth potential. Teens are connected to their teams, athletes and brands in deeper ways than ever before. They are eager to return to play, but the field-of-play has evolved.”
– Noah Lasutschinkow, Research Analyst – Technology and Media
This Report looks at the following areas
- The market for youth sports in the US
- Key factors impacting teen and tween sports
- Opportunities and challenges for brands and leagues to reach young players and fans
- The sports teens and tweens follow and play
- How demographics impact sports preferences
- Ways to engage teen and tween sports fans and methods they use to follow sports
- Teen and tween perceptions of the benefits of sports
Table of Contents
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Overview
- What you need to know
- This Report looks at the following areas
- Definition
- Market context
- What you need to know
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Executive Summary
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- Top takeaways
- Market overview
- Figure 1: Youth sports outlook – Participation and fan following, 2022-27
- Opportunities
- Put health in focus – It’s a priority for both kids and parents
- Don’t fight it – Leverage kids’ social media second screen habits to deepen engagement
- The future is now – Digital content is in demand
- Girls, girls, girls! Increase exposure to women’s pro sports, extend access to girl athletes
- Equality for girls in sports is only just at the beginning
- Challenges
- Health and safety concerns remain – Some parents need convincing
- Costs are rising and youth sports can be expensive – They may be out of reach for some
- Increased competition for time – Sports isn’t at the top of teens’ and tweens’ priority lists
- Key consumer insights
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Market Value Indicators
- Youth sports’ market value similar to movie industry, theme parks
- Parents need solutions to combat negative mental health impact
- More play now may equal more fans in the future
- Figure 2: Sports following and participation, by sport, 2022
- Fewer sports played but increasing participation points to specialization
- Figure 3: Total sports participation rates among teens aged 13-17, 2012-22
- Sporting goods retail experienced sharp pandemic-induced growth
- Figure 4: Total US revenues and fan chart forecast of sporting goods stores, at current prices, 2016-26
- Youth sports’ market value similar to movie industry, theme parks
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Teens & Tweens by the Numbers
- A declining teen and tween population
- Figure 5: US population of teens and tweens age 10-17, 2017-27
- More multicultural teens and tweens will shift youth sport priorities
- Figure 6: US population share of teens and tweens age 10-17, by age and race/Hispanic origin, 2021
- A declining teen and tween population
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Factors Impacting Teen & Tween Sports
- Sports betting boom could offer support for youth sports
- NCAA rule change allows youth athletes to make a profit
- Professional play starts now
- Youth sports continues to evolve, but history repeats itself
- Sports betting boom could offer support for youth sports
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Perspectives on Play
- Teens feel that they’re healthy but also feel being healthy is a top priority
- Figure 7: Children’s health status since start of pandemic, 2021
- After-school activities
- Figure 8: Ideal after-school activities, 2022
- Teens feel that they’re healthy but also feel being healthy is a top priority
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Competitive Strategies and Market Opportunities
- NFL finds repeat success in partnerships aimed at reaching kids
- Nickelodeon brings the slime to the wild card games
- Figure 9: Nickelodeon’s NFL broadcast, 2022
- Twitch streamers live stream along with NFL
- Kids signing deals now challenges amateur sports
- Safety is a concern among parents and it goes beyond on-the-field
- NFL finds repeat success in partnerships aimed at reaching kids
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Teen & Tween Athletes and Sports Fans – Fast Facts
- Equal exposure leads to greater female following
- Tailored content can pique greater interest in sports
- Rising costs create a bigger barrier for young athletes
- Preparing for the future pulls teens from sports
- Digital is the future of fan following
- Fandom is part of teen and tween fans’ identity and evolves with age
- Equal exposure leads to greater female following
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Teen & Tween Sports Fans
- Equal exposure connects greater female following
- Figure 10: Sports fandom, by sport, by gender, 2022
- Lower incidence of fan following could be an issue for leagues in the future
- Figure 11: Sports fandom, by sport, by age, 2022
- Strong fandom among Hispanic tweens and teens needs to be nurtured
- Figure 12: Sports fandom, by sport, by race and Hispanic origin, 2022
- Higher household income translates to greater instance of fan following
- Figure 13: Sports fandom, by sport, by household income, 2022
- Pro leagues can aid and encourage participation to drive fandom
- Figure 14: Reasons for sports fandom, 2022
- General lack of interest is top reason not to follow sports
- Figure 15: Reasons against sports fandom, 2022
- Equal exposure connects greater female following
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Teen & Tween Athletes
- At least three quarters participate in youth sports
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- Figure 16: Sports participation, by sport, by organized and nonorganized sports, 2022
- Boys are more organized, at least in youth sports
- Figure 17: Organized sports participation, by sport, by gender, 2022
- Rising costs create a barrier for lower-income youth athletes
- Figure 18: Organized sports participation, by sport, by household income, 2022
- Older teens’ preparation for the future can detract from athletics
- Figure 19: Organized sports participation, by sport, by age, 2022
- Black teens and tweens have lower participation rates
- Figure 20: Organized sports participation, by sport, by race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Sports need to stay fun
- Figure 21: Nike Korea’s “Playground for all,” 2022
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- Figure 22: Nonorganized sports participation, by sport, by gender, 2022
- Figure 23: Nonorganized sports participation, by sport, by race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Reasons for playing sports
- Winning isn’t everything when kids are having fun
- Organized youth sports develop competition for the next level
- Figure 24: Reasons for playing sports, by age, 2022
- At least three quarters participate in youth sports
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Following the Action
- Digital is the following of the future
- Figure 25: Methods for following sports, by teens & tweens vs adults, 2022
- Creator content can attract
- Figure 26: Methods for following sports, by gender, 2022
- Social media is critical, use it to engage fans during the competition
- Figure 27: Social media to follow sports/sports influencers, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- The next generation wants shareable content
- Figure 28: Methods for following sports, by age, 2022
- Digital is the following of the future
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The Essence of Youth Fandom
- Fandom gives identity, but evolves with age
- Figure 29: Importance of sports, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Teens and tweens are content hungry
- Figure 30: Sponsorship awareness and extra content, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Teens want to show support for their team anytime
- Figure 31: Wearing sports merchandise, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Teens and tweens are loyal to the athletes who show their personality
- Figure 32: Team loyalty transfer based on favorite player, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Teens want newness but the price is high
- Figure 33: Sports equipment and brands/logos on equipment, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Sports video gaming creates strong fandom
- Figure 34: Play sports video or fantasy sports, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Fandom gives identity, but evolves with age
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The Benefits of Youth Sports Participation
- No need to convince youth athletes on the physical, mental health benefits
- Figure 35: Health benefits of playing sports, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- Beyond physical activity, other benefits help teens prepare for the future
- Figure 36: Social and educational benefits of playing sports, by gender, age and race/Hispanic origin, 2022
- No need to convince youth athletes on the physical, mental health benefits
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Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
- Data sources
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