SPORTS AND ATHLETICS
Growth in Racquet Sports, Struggles for Gym-Based Fitness Participation
Dec
Participation in sports and fitness activities in the United States continued to increase in 2022, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth. However, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) Topline Participation Report reveals that gym-based fitness activities faced challenges in recovering participation levels.
A total of 237 million Americans (77.6 percent of those aged 6 and older) engaged in at least one sport or fitness activity in 2022, representing a 9.2 percent increase from 2017 and a 1.9 percent increase from 2021.
Despite the overall growth, health club-based activities did not fully recover to pre-pandemic participation rates. Among the 24 fitness activities tracked, eight experienced an increase in participation over the past three years, including Pilates training, yoga, kettlebells, dance and choreographed exercise to music, barre, free weights (dumbbells/hand weights), walking for fitness, and free weights (barbells).
On the other hand, group stationary cycling, cross-training style workouts, boot camp style training, stair climbing machine, and cardio kickboxing saw significant decreases in participation from 2019 to 2022.
In terms of one-year trends, cardio kickboxing experienced the largest increase in participation for fitness-based activities in 2022, followed by group stationary cycling, Pilates training, and barre. Cross-style training workouts, bodyweight exercise, running/jogging, and elliptical motion/cross trainer use saw declines in participation.
Walking for fitness remained the most popular fitness activity, followed by treadmill use, free weights (dumbbells/hand weights), running/jogging, and yoga. Racquet sports, particularly pickleball, saw significant growth, with participation increasing by 17.6 percent compared to 2021.
While gym-based fitness participation faced challenges, the report emphasizes the importance of delivering accessible, affordable, and high-quality experiences to keep athletes engaged and maintain the positive momentum in physical activity trends.
