PPB November 2017

W ith more than 36 million kids between the ages of five and 14 suiting up, youth sports is a $15 billion industry in the U.S. Much of the revenue is attributed to the cost of equipment, uniforms, travel and registration fees. But the landscape of youth sports is increasingly showing disparities between families who can afford the high cost of sports and those who cannot. While almost 45 percent of children ages six to 12 participated in a team sport in 2008, now only 37 percent are actively playing on organized teams, according to the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit group whose Project Play initiative seeks to help increase access to quality sports activities for all youth. Additionally, the pursuit of college scholarships has pushed competitive play ahead of recreational play, leaving traditional teams searching for players who are in it for the fun and camaraderie, rather than the wins. Between 2008 and 2015, the four sports that saw the largest declines in participation were basketball, soccer, baseball and tackle football. Conversely, the sports that saw the biggest gains in participation over this time period were gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse and field hockey. Come Out And Play Custom promotional products and apparel score big among youth sports teams. You t h Spo r t s 44 | NOVEMBER 2017 | GROW by Jen Alexander