BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: What U.S. plays: Softball, football, hockey, baseball down over decade

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

What U.S. plays: Softball, football, hockey, baseball down over decade

The latest authoritative Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association annual report on U.S. sports participation, based on about 15,000 individual surveys and 24,000 households surveys, found that about 2.1 million Americans say they competed in wrestling last year—down 44% from 2000.

Other drops in total participants over the past decade even as the U.S. population steadily expanded: slow-pitch softball (-38%), football (-16%), ice hockey (-12%), fast-pitch softball (-11%) and baseball (-8%).

Baseball is doomed! Softball is doomed! Hockey is doomed! Football is doomed! Wrestling is doomed! Soon, we will all be playing soccer and hoops and nothing else, because we’re doomed! Doomed!

Gamingboy Posted: September 27, 2011 at 08:36 PM | 7 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: amateur

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1. Dale Sams Posted: September 27, 2011 at 09:38 PM (#3939485)

I blame the internet.

2. A triple short of the cycle

Posted: September 27, 2011 at 10:09 PM (#3939505)

I think the quality of my slow-pitch softball playing may well have dropped 38% in the last decade.. but the quantity is still there!

3. The District Attorney Posted: September 27, 2011 at 10:46 PM (#3939529)

Roll us all down a mountain. I'm sure the fat man would win.

4. Fred Lynn Nolan Ryan Sweeney Agonistes Posted: September 27, 2011 at 11:08 PM (#3939549)

Here I thought I was actually getting better at softball.
Turns out all the really good players are playing lacrosse and rugby now.

5. BDC

Posted: September 27, 2011 at 11:23 PM (#3939582)

The only sport I play is petanque. No word in TFA about whether that's growing or declining.

6. catomi01 Posted: September 28, 2011 at 12:48 AM (#3939925)

if no one is playing softball - why does my Sunday morning team keep ending up on shitty elementary school fields with the claim that all the good fields in the area are booked?

7. DL from MN Posted: September 29, 2011 at 04:19 PM (#3945097)

I think a lot of the drop in slow pitch softball is female players but participation is down for both genders. Meanwhile the number of 5k "fun runs" seems to have exploded.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

What U.S. plays: Softball, football, hockey, baseball down over decade

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