Key Takeaways
- Regular sports participation among boys ages 6 to 17 slid from 50% in 2013 to 42% in 2024, according to SFIA data cited in the report.
- Nearly half of boys who never played organized sports (49.5%) told the 2025 Youth Athlete Survey that fear of injury kept them out.
- Current male athletes named bad coaching as their top complaint at 22%, ahead of cost at 17%, per the survey.
- The report identifies the Meta state settlement, data center agreements, and sports betting revenue as potential funding sources for new programs.
FULL REPORT HERE
The Aspen Institute’s Project Play and the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM) released “Boys in Sports” in September 2026. The report examines why boys sports participation is declining while girls’ participation has grown. Citing Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) data, the report says the share of boys ages 6 to 17 who play sports regularly fell from 50% in 2013 to 42% in 2024.
The research draws on four sources:
- the 2025 Youth Athlete Survey of 3,827 youth ages 10 to 17
- the 2022 National Coach Survey of 10,485 coaches
- four focus groups with 20 boys
- six expert interviews
The authors state that the prevalence and causal importance of the barriers they identify remain uncertain.
How Far Has Boys Sports Participation Dropped?
The decline shows up across multiple national datasets, according to the report. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows high school boys playing on at least one team fell from a 2011 peak of 64% to 56% in 2023. University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future survey, per AIBM’s analysis, shows 12th-grade boys on school teams dropped from 65% in 2013 to roughly 53% to 55% in the post-pandemic years.
Traditional boys sports are losing ground fastest. SFIA data cited in the report shows the following five-year declines:
- Baseball: down 19% among ages 6 to 12 and 16% among ages 13 to 17
- Tackle football: down 7% and 9% for the same age groups
Boys still participate at higher rates than girls, the report notes, but their trend line is moving in the opposite direction.
Coaching, Injury Fears, and Public Failure Keep Boys Out
The 2025 Youth Athlete Survey found that the barriers differ by segment. Bad coaching was the most cited complaint among current male athletes at 22%, followed by cost at 17%. Among boys who quit, “I’m not good enough” led at 28%. Among boys who never played, the same answer led at 31%, with “my friends don’t play” close behind at 30%.
Injury is a major deterrent. According to the survey, 49.5% of never-players said fear of injury kept them from playing, and football was the sport cited most often.
Coaches report gaps in the areas boys say they need most. Per the 2022 National Coach Survey, baseball coaches felt least confident linking athletes to mental health resources and helping them navigate social media.
Cory Stevens, athletic director at Sandwich High School in Illinois, told researchers that today’s players are “looking for more empathetic coaches.”
The report also flags phone recording and social media as amplifiers of pressure. Focus group participants described skipping tryouts to avoid ridicule if they performed poorly.
The Missing Middle: Low-Stakes Play for High School Boys
None of the 20 focus group participants had ever played intramurals in middle or high school, according to the report. The authors describe unmet demand for low-cost, entry-level options for late starters and late developers. They cite several working models:
- John Rogers High School, Spokane, Washington: Athletic director Aaron Brecek added extra teams in high-demand sports that compete in an in-school intramural league. Weekly winners earn the chance to represent the school in official uniforms. Brecek says two peer schools in Spokane have adopted a similar model.
- Alexandria City High School, Virginia: The school partnered with the Alexandria Soccer Association to offer free recreational play to students cut at tryouts, in exchange for access to school fields.
- San Francisco Youth Soccer: The organization created a “Varsity Division” for high school teens with no experience required.
Gaming also plays a role. Per the survey, 55% of boys who never played organized sports said video games increased their interest in sports. By contrast, 27% of former athletes said gaming reduced their interest.
Meta Settlement Dollars and Betting Revenue Could Fund the Next Intramural League
The report recommends that every school receiving federal support run an annual student interest survey and publish the results. It also calls on federal Title IX guidance to count intramural and club programs as meaningful athletic opportunities.
To pay for expansion, the report points to several existing and proposed funding streams:
- Meta state settlement: at least $12.1 billion over ten years, with after-school sports programs listed as a permissible use.
- Data center agreements: Google committed $4 million over five years to community projects in Botetourt County, Virginia.
- New York sports betting: the state directs $5 million annually from mobile sports betting to underserved youth programs. Pending legislation from State Sen. Jamaal Bailey would dedicate up to 2% of that revenue, capped at $23 million, to youth sports.
- Massachusetts sports betting: the state directs 1% of its Sports Wagering Fund to youth development, including athletics.
The report’s clearest proof of concept is local. In Oakland, Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s foundation partnered with middle schools to add more sports, and participation rose from 17% in 2021 to 62% in 2026.
Source: Aspen Institute Project Play and American Institute for Boys and Men, September 2026, https://www.aspeninstitute.org/
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Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
What does YSBR cover?
YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
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Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
