U.S. youth sports participation tracked by the federal government rose to 58% in 2024, marking a significant one-year increase and nearly returning to its level almost a decade ago. Organized sports participation grew among boys, girls and all racial and ethnic groups, but the gap continued to widen based on household income.

To reach the federal government’s goal of 63% of children participating in organized sports by 2030, it’s critical to both recruit and retain youth athletes. That requires understanding different perspectives from current, former and never players. What characteristics of sports and broader systemic issues influence their experiences and decisions to play or not play? Here are 15 key findings from our exclusive survey.

Among children who play sports, those with disabilities annually participate almost one month less in practices or competitions than their peers without disabilities. The lack of play can be impactful – parents of children with disabilities are more likely to believe their child’s health worsened when not regularly playing sports.

If you’re the parent of a child in sports, chances are your life gets extremely hectic. It’s not just the extra costs with sports, although a 46% increase on family spending since 2019 that surpassed U.S. inflation leaves parents frustrated. It’s also their time commitment.

More than half of sports parents feel some or lots of pressure to have their child specialize in one sport, but today the source of that pressure is less often the chase for professional careers or NCAA-level roster spots than a venue much closer to home: high school sports.