Youth sports study finds fewer boys playing while participation among girls has increased

WASHINGTON — Children and teenagers playing sports overall has increased even as participation among boys has dropped off, according to an annual study released Wednesday.

Participation for girls was at its highest levels since at least 2012 in part due to the phenomenal rise of University of Iowa-turned-Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark leading youth to want to play basketball, according to the study from the Aspen Institute.

The group said the National Survey of Children's Health, administered through the U.S. Census Bureau, found that 53.8% of young people ages 6-17 played sports in 2022.

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which tracks youth participation by sport, found in 2023 that there was a 6% increase in young people who regularly participated in a team sport, which it said was the highest rate (39.8%) since 2015.

The SFIA data, however, found only 41% of boys participated regularly in sports in 2023, a decrease from 10 years earlier when half of all boys took part.

Federal government data also shows a decline for boys over the past decade, although not as steep, according to the study.

Thirty-four percent of girls ages 6-12 participated and 38% of girls ages 13-17 took part in sports in 2023, a higher level than in any recent year dating to at least 2012.

Tom Cove, SFIA senior adviser and former president/CEO, said the change was significant and “it's a mystery to me why.”

Cove speculated that making teams has become harder and that when boys miss the cut, they stop playing. Girls, he said, are not getting cut as often as boys are.

“My sense is youth sports have become a self-fulfilling prophecy around travel and competition, and there aren't enough places to play when you get cut,” Cove said.

Black children are playing sports less than they once did, while Hispanic participation is increasing. SFIA data shows that 35% of Black youth ages 6-17 regularly participated in sports during 2023, down from 45% in 2013, when Black children played at a higher rate than white peers. White, Hispanic and Asian American children all played sports more frequently in 2023 than Black youth.

The study said the increases among girls can be attributed in part to Clark's performance on the court.

“Her deep shooting range inspires younger players and may change the women’s game much the way NBA star Stephen Curry changed the men’s game more than a decade ago,” the study said.