NSGA’s Annual Sports Participation Study Emphasizes Overall Growth

DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS (April 14, 2026) – Increases in participation in most sports is one of the encouraging highlights from the 2026 edition of the National Sporting Goods Association’s (NSGA) Sports Participation in the U.S. report.

The industry’s longest standing and most comprehensive participation study saw increases in 9 of 10 segments – including team, individual, indoor, outdoor and wheel sports – tracked by NSGA. Five sports added to this year’s report also showed participation growth.

“We are thrilled to see the continued across-the-board growth of more people enjoying the mental and physical benefits of participating in many different sports,” said Nick Rigitano, NSGA Director of Insights and Analysis. “It is good to see people are still prioritizing sports and athleisure activities even during a year that was filled with economic uncertainty. It’s an encouraging sign for retailers, team dealers and manufacturers that consumers’ enthusiasm for participating in sports has not waned.

“NSGA’s Sports Participation in the U.S. report is an excellent resource for members of the sporting goods industry to stay ahead of the trends taking place in sports participation. The reports go beyond topline data and provide the in-depth outlook on demographics and frequency of participation that are crucial to making informed business decisions.”

Some of the key takeaways from NSGA’s 2026 participation report:

• Most sports/activities tracked (49 of 61) experienced increases in participation for 2025 compared to the previous year (2024).
• Two of the top team sports with participation increases were flag football and cheerleading at nearly 14 percent. They were part of a 4% increase in total participation points (TPPs) for the segment and helped to offset small declines in touch football and softball.
• The individual sports segment was up about 4% thanks to strong gains by tennis, golf and pickleball.
• The indoor activities segment increased about 6%, bolstered by strong gains in table tennis of 10%.
• The outdoor segment also showed an increase of 3.3%, led by hiking which reached a new total of 57.7 million participants.
• Bicycle riding and in-line roller skating drove a wheel sports segment increase of 3%.
• While the fitness segment was down slightly, Pilates received a boost in participation helped by almost 7,500 new Pilates/yoga studios registered in 2025.
• Five sports added to the 2026 report were Competitive Dance Team/Orchesis/Pom Squad in the team segment and Cross-Training, Dance-Oriented Fitness, High Intensity Interval Training and In-Home Video/App Workouts to the fitness segment. All five showed participation increases compared to 2024.

Click here to see which sports are in which segments and click here for an explanation of the Total Participation Points (TPPs) calculation.

The 2026 editions of the Sports Participation in the U.S. report are available on the research page of NSGA’s website. The report tracks 61 sports and recreational activities and features easy-to-understand, quick-view snapshots for each, which allows users to easily see a 10-year participation trend (when available), as well as demographic details regarding age, income and U.S. region. NSGA’s participation research also includes Cross Participation, Lifecycle Demographics and Single-Sport reports.

If you are interested in participation information for stories related to big sporting events such as World Cup soccer or growing high school sports such as girls flag football please contact Marty Maciaszek, NSGA Director of Communications, at mmaciaszek@nsga.org or (847) 296-6742, ext. 1260.

About the National Sporting Goods Association

Since 1929, the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) has been the leading voice and go-to resource for the sporting goods industry. NSGA helps the industry grow its businesses through research, advocacy and networking. For more information about membership or NSGA’s products and services, please visit www.nsga.org.