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About This Sports Industry Report
YOUTH SPORTS
Wellspring of Sports Participation
Over the past year, sports industry professionals and academic instructors have requested specific chapters from our book, The Business of Sports. The 450 page, 12 chapter book is available online ($79.50) and in print ($99.50) at www.globalsportsinsights.com. In response to those interested in selected topics, we are now offering a very reasonably priced menu of more focused content (e.g., How Big is the Sports Industry? Sports Events, Sports Entertainment, Sports Betting).
Below is a brief summary of the essential content of our Sports Industry Report on Youth Sports. The report is the result of an intensive search of the most current and credible data sources on this topic. In 2023, global spending on youth sports reached a record $64.3 billion. Youth sports in the U.S. accounted for the lion’s share, topping $43 billion. The report chronicles annual revenues generated from two principal sources: organized youth sports leagues and sports camps/academies from 2018 through 2023. The analysis examines the impact of the COVID-19 on youth participation and spending and the industry’s rate of recovery through 2023.
Woven into the analysis are videos that highlight the many benefits of youth engagement in sport, as well as the devastating reality that millions of children are inhibited from playing their favorite sport due to the growing cost of participation.
The final section, “The Global Perspective,” examines the many robust sports youth programs across the globe, highlighting data from those nations with “World’s Leading Sports Systems” from a 2023 Aspen Institute study. The report concludes with a comparative analysis of the historical and cultural factors influencing the many differences between the organization and delivery of youth sports between the United States and several European nations.
For instructors planning to use this report as a required reading, we provide extensive Instructor Support materials, including: Slides of key report graphics, Discussion Questions, and a Test Bank including multiple choice, short answer and essay questions.
We hope you find our report of great value and thank you for your purchase.
Dennis and Roger
Sports Industry Report
Contents
CONTENTS
Amazing Benefits of Youth Sports
Before diving into the financial magnitude and cost of youth sports, let’s take a short look at the many benefits of organized sports for children. As highlighted in the video below, these benefits directly boost fitness, build character (self-esteem, discipline, interpersonal skills), and “grit” values (perseverance, coping with failure). Research finds that sports participation also enhances classroom performance by improving how kids study and behave in school. Finally, sports expose and prepare youth for many of the realities of life by instilling values such as teamwork, collaboration and learning to take direction from peers and superiors.
5 Key Benefits of Sports for Kids
Copyright 2024 The Business of Sports
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Youth Sports
Sports Industry Report
Those interested in taking a deeper dive into recent research on the many physical and mental benefits of youth sport, will find the following references of value:
- Benefits of Youth Sports, President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutritional Science Board Benefits of Youth Sports (health.gov)
- Youth Sports Benefits: Health Benefits, Project Play, Aspen Institute Youth Sports Facts: Benefits – Project Play
- The Benefits of Youth Sports in Child Development, University of San Diego, Professional and Continuing Education The Benefits of Youth Sports in Child Development (sandiego.edu)
- Coming Out of the Pandemic, Sport Programs Are More Important Than Ever for Kids’ Mental Health, Global Sports Matters Youth Sports Are More Important Than Ever for Kids’ Mental Health (globalsportmatters.com)
Global Sports Industry Revenues Reach $64 billions
Global youth sports had grown into an estimated $64.3 billion industry by 2023 (Figure 1). The U.S. youth sports market accounts for two-thirds of global spending, at $43.4 billion. One research firm projects the worldwide youth sports market to reach $77.6 billion by 2026 (1). Youth sports play a pivotal role in determining the long-term welfare of sports participation. It serves as the wellspring for the continued growth and vitality of every participatory sport around the globe.
FIGURE 1
Youth Sports Annual Revenues, U.S. & Global, 2019-2023 (billions)
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Copyright 2024 The Business of Sports
Youth Sports
Sports Industry Report
COVID-19 Impact and Recovery
Figure 1 shows the dramatic decline in youth sports revenues during the height of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. Revenues worldwide plummeted from $46.8 billion in 2019 to $29.1 billion, a loss of $17.7 billion (nearly 40%) over the last nine months of 2020. Youth sports revenues in the U.S. suffered a similar loss (36.4%), falling from $32.1 billion in 2019 to $20.4 billion in 2020.
The COVID-19 epidemic spread quickly around the globe in early 2020. By March 2021, the virus had infected more than 116 million people, resulting in 2.6 million deaths (2). Across the world, countries closed public and private enterprises, including schools, stores, restaurants and office buildings. Sport gyms, recreation centers, and sports leagues at all levels (community, schools, professional) were shuttered. In the U.S. in March 2020, both the National Basketball League and National Hockey League suspended their seasons.
With the closure of community sport facilities, most youth sports activities came to an abrupt halt in March 2020. In the U.S, due to the persistence of the COVID-19 infection, many states did not fully resume high school and youth sports programs until early 2021. A survey of parents of children 6 to 18 years found that only 23% of their children participated in school, travel or community sports between August 2020 and January 2021 (3). The organizations offering the sports programs all created safety protocols to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Figure 1 shows that youth sports organizations recovered rapidly from the highly disruptive first year of the global pandemic in 2020. Over the last three years, revenues in both the U.S. and globally have grown at a steady rate as the impact of the coronavirus has been mitigated by the development of effective COVID-19 vaccines and the adoption of preventive strategies (masking, social distancing, testing for COVID-19 and immediate treatment for onset symptoms). From the low of $29.1 billion in 2020, youth sports revenues worldwide reached an all-time high in 2023 of $62.9 billion. A considerable portion – almost two-thirds – was accounted for by America’s rapid recovery. U.S. spending on youth sports jumped from its low of $20.4 in 2020 to $42.4 billion in 2023, representing a robust annual growth rate of nearly 28 percent.
Revenue projections for the immediate future are very promising. By 2026, global spending on youth sports is forecasted to reach $77.6 billion, representing a healthy rate of annual growth of 7.3% over the next three years.
Primary Sources of Youth Sports Revenues
FIGURE 2
Primary Revenue-Generating Sources for Youth Sports: U.S. & Global: 2029-2023 (billions)
