10 Youth Sports Trends to Watch

The ecosystem of youth sports and recreation is constantly evolving. Participation trends, private equity and government investments, climate change, college sports and many other factors all impact how children play sports. The Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative evaluated 10 trends from 2024 that are worth watching in the years ahead.

The Caitlin Clark effect is impacting youth sports. No American athlete took the world by storm in 2024 quite like Clark, the University of Iowa and WBNA rookie star. Consider some of the ways she has impacted sports:

• TV viewership: Clark's Iowa career ended with the three most-watched women's college basketball games of all-time. Then she played in 20 of the 23 WNBA games in 2024 that drew more than 1 million viewers. According to Sports Media Watch, before the 2024 season, no WNBA game had averaged more than 1 million viewers since 2008. The WNBA also demolished its draft and All-Star Game viewership records with Clark appearing.

• Ticket sales: Clark’s Indiana Fever team led the WNBA with an average over 17,000 fans per game, up from 4,067 per game a year earlier. The Fever became the first team in WNBA history to draw more than 300,000 fans in a season. Clark was also a force on the road. In the Fever’s regular season finale at the Washington Mystics, the game broke the WNBA attendance record with 20,711 fans.

• Merchandise: Sports Business Journal reported that Clark's jersey was unsurprisingly the top seller in the league. The Fever reported a 1,913% year-over-year increase in jersey sales.

What’s this mean for children in sports? In Iowa, the soaring demand for youth basketball courts is attributed to Clark. Her deep shooting range inspires younger players and may change the women’s game much the way NBA star Stephen Curry changed the men’s game more than a decade ago.

"Guys will say the game is not as fun to watch, but Caitlin Clark is fun to watch," Shay Ijiwoye, one of Arizona's top high school basketball players and a Stanford commit, told CBS News. "I think she's inspiring a lot of young kids my age, older, younger, that you can have that confidence and do it just as well as any guy could."

Overall sports participation rates for girls have increased in recent years during Clark’s time at Iowa and now in the WNBA. Although it’s difficult to quantify that directly to Clark, Sports & Fitness Industry Association senior advisor Tom Cove believes she plays a role and notes that participation increases among girls also occurred in the 1990s when Mia Hamm burst onto the soccer scene.

During Hamm’s explosion on the Olympic and World Cup scene, women’s sports lacked successful pro leagues and media exposure for younger girls to dream of playing too. Today, the NWSL and WNBA receive greater attention, and hockey, rugby, wrestling and flag football are examples of sports that girls now regularly play.

Can Clark’s popularity inspire growth in high school girls basketball participation, which significantly declined in recent decades? More girls turning to volleyball and early-sport specialization are among the factors that have impacted high school basketball. Can she inspire girls to play other sports as well?

Clark has long referenced her soccer background as helping her become better at basketball. She played on coed teams in both soccer and basketball, starting at age 5, and during her childhood was also involved with piano, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball. Her parents said those activities helped her mentally and physically and promote the value of kids trying as many activities as possible, sports or otherwise.

Climate change is affecting the safety of young people in sports. As global temperatures continue to rise and extreme heat lasts longer, sports providers will have to invest more in safety. Five high school football players died in the summer of 2024 of suspected heat-related illnesses. Fifty-eight players have died from exertional heatstroke between 1992 and 2024, according to the Korey Stringer Institute, and thousands more are sickened each year.

Heat-related deaths are entirely preventable by recognizing the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and stroke. But the Associated Press found that only a quarter of U.S. states have comprehensive heat acclimatization policies. Also, only a quarter of the states require the use of wet-bulb blob temperature – the best way to measure stress because it includes air temperature, humidity, direct sunlight and wind – to determine if it’s too hot to play.

In addition to restricting outdoor sports during the hottest hours, some climate experts and medical officials stress that moving traditional sports seasons to cooler months will have to eventually happen. “I’m a big believer that in 20 years, high school football will be a spring sport and not a fall sport,” Korey Stringer Institute CEO Douglas Casa told USA Today.

Lots of work must happen to preserve playing opportunities for children in the future, said University of Toronto professor Madeleine Orr, author of Warming Up: How Climate Change is Changing Sports. “The good news is almost all of these playing opportunities can be preserved, but we’ve got to divorce ourselves from the traditional sports systems where we’re married to schedules; we’re obsessed with keeping certain play traditions,” Orr told The Real News Network. “The amount of time, for example, in a half or quarter of a game might have to shift. There might need to be more breaks to accommodate heat, to accommodate rain or whatever it is. And I think we’re just going to have to get more comfortable being flexible.”

Jessica Murfree, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina who studies sports and climate change, worries that youth and high school sports providers lack the resources and preparation to adapt to climate change the way professional and college sports will.

“We’ve lived in a world for so long that puts sports first,” Murfree said. “Now more people are putting people first. Still, to a massive degree, sports are very reactive. How much suffering will it take to really convince organizers and those in charge to make better decisions? Because the climate will continue to change. What does that mean for participating in sports as a basic function of well-being to move our bodies?”

Private equity is investing more into youth sports. Bloomberg explored the growing trend with this 2024 article on how private equity – an industry famous for squeezing out value – claims it will make sports better for families who are used to an expensive, high-pressure experience. The article focuses on the investments made by David Blitzer and Josh Harris, private equity billionaires with deep ties to professional sports.

In 2021, Blitzer and Harris paid $116 million for an 80% share of the Cooperstown All Star Village and have since acquired more than a dozen companies built around youth sports – including baseball, softball, action sports and flag football – in over 30 states. They recently formed Unrivaled Sports to manage these growing properties, an example of increasing consolidation with youth sports camps, tournaments and other assets across the country.

Unrivaled CEO Andy Campion told Bloomberg that Unrivaled’s goal is to do for travel sports what Disney has done for amusement parks. “When you think about distributed mom-and-pops, you have no idea who owns it,” Campion said. “As we become more well known, we hope people go, ‘Oh, Unrivaled owns that? It’s going to be great.’”

Other examples of private equity investing in youth sports properties in 2024 include:

• Private equity firm KKR acquired Varsity Brands, a U.S. maker of sports uniforms and school yearbooks and owner of cheerleading giant Varsity Spirit, from buyout firm Bain Capital for about $4.75 billion, Reuters reported.

• Platinum Equity acquired Augusta Sportwear Brands and Founder Sport Group, who are suppliers of team uniforms and off-field performance wear and fan apparel for the youth and recreational sports markets.

• LeagueApps, a platform for managing youth sports teams, announced a new round of fundraising led by new investors Accel-KKR with Arctos Partners.

Increased focus by private equity firms on youth sports has highlighted foundational issues that may require even further investment to address, said Cole Van Nice, co-founder of Elysian Park Ventures, the venture capital firm of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ownership group. Elysian has significant investments in tech and service companies operating around youth sports.

“We’re starting to see across the country a lot of pushback (by families due to the costs to play travel sports), and that is also in some ways provoking a new round of innovation,” Van Nice told Sports Business Journal. “How do you enable as many kids as possible to play?”

Linda Flanagan, author of Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids’ Sports – and Why It Matters, said it’s hard to see how private equity taking a larger share of youth sports organization will help families or children. “Their purpose is to make a profit. It’s not to develop children,” Flanagan told Bloomberg.

Tom Farrey, executive director of the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, said private equity could be the best or worst thing that happens to youth sports.

“Will private equity firms bring professional management, program standards, and safety risk mitigation that improve the experience and reduce attrition?” Farrey said. “Or will private equity do the easy thing and just try to wring more money out of an increasingly smaller pool of families with the income to stay in the youth sports arms race? My sense is greater returns can be achieved via the former option, but it will take leadership and a recognition that when business plays with kids, the interest of the kids need to come first.”

The Paris Olympics and Paralympics inspire youth to play, but for how long? The 2024 Summer Olympics drew 30.6 million viewers across NBCUniversal’s platforms, marking an 82% jump in viewership compared to the Tokyo Games in 2021. The Paris Games were the most-streamed Olympics of all time, with a 40% increase compared to all prior summer and winter Games combined.

The Paralympic Games reached a record 15.4 million total viewers and the average daily viewers was up 31% compared to Tokyo. Primetime coverage for one NBC telecast averaged 1.8 million viewers, making it the second-most watch Paralympics telecast on record.

Historically, the Olympics and Paralympics have inspired youth to try new sports for the first time. For instance, in the year of the 2016 Rio Olympics, participation for the entire U.S. population increased by 16% for swimming, 15% for gymnastics and 15% for beach/sand volleyball.

But often, participation rates then fall back to their previous levels. The past creates a challenge for NGBs and advocates of a sport: How to move more kids past the sampling stage and into a sustained experience in the sport?

There is growing support by states for prosthetics and orthotics allowing more people to play sports. Millions of children and adults in the U.S. with limb loss, limb indifference and mobility impairment are unable to afford and access life-changing care that helps them be physically active. The organization “So Every BODY Can Move” is disrupting this healthcare inequity by mobilizing grassroots advocates to champion local, state-by-state legislative change to create insurance coverage for recreational prosthetic and orthotic care. The goal is to enact changes in 28 states by the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles.

Eight states have passed legislation – Minnesota, New Hampshire, Maryland, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, Illinois and Maine, which was the first to enact such a law in 2022. Maryland, Minnesota and New Hampshire joined the effort in 2024 and bills remain active in New Jersey and Massachusetts, according to Amplitude Magazine.

Maryland’s law provides an example of how the legislation works. Insurers are required to cover all devices deemed medically necessary by a physician for activities of daily living, essential job-related activities, and/or physical activities such as running, biking, swimming, strength training, or other activities necessary to maximize whole-body health. Insurers are also required to cover replacement devices and components, as deemed necessary by a healthcare provider.

Many people who have testified before lawmakers said the costs are minimal – between a penny and 37 cents a month for premiums. And they believe it could lower other insurance costs because of patients’ improved mental and physical health.

“We’re not telling the average citizen that they’re not allowed to run, you’re not allowed to skateboard. If your child wants to play baseball, they’re allowed to play baseball,” John Edward Heath, a Paralympian who helped pass the Maryland law, told WJZ News in Baltimore. “We can’t do that without (this care). … Amputation doesn’t pick you. You could be heading home right now and God forbid you get into an accident and you become an amputee – and what we’re fighting for becomes relevant to you.”

Pickleball becomes a varsity high school sport. “Pickleball for all” is the slogan used by Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools, which launched pickleball in high schools in 2024. Montgomery County said it’s the first school district in the country to offer pickleball as a varsity sport, as part of its corollary sports program that provides increased access and participation opportunities for students with disabilities.

Piloted in 2023 at 11 Montgomery County schools, the sport expanded to all 25 high schools through a partnership with the D.C. Pickleball Team (Washington D.C.’s Major League Pickleball franchise) and pickleball equipment company JOOLA. Pickleball participation increased 45% for children ages 6-12 and 86% among youth 13-17 between 2022 and 2023, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.

Jeff Sullivan, Montgomery County Public Schools athletic director, told NPR that one reason the district expanded pickleball offerings was so students with different abilities can play. Students with and without disabilities participate, and some schools had to turn away students because the program is so popular. The season includes playoffs and a championship game.

“They interact with peers just like anyone else would, and they want to be included in a varsity sport,” Wheaton High School coach Stacy Azizirad told WUSA9. “It could be physical or learning disabilities – students who you wouldn’t normally see playing a varsity sport.”

There is growing acceptance of NIL money among high school athletes. The vast majority of the country allows high school athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness, an offshoot of NCAA athletes being allowed to get paid in recent years. Read Opendorse’s breakdown of state policies for high school athletes across the country.

North Carolina became the latest state to adopt NIL when a Wake County judge signed an order requiring the State Board of Education to adopt its proposed permanent rules for NIL in high schools. The family of high school quarterback Faizon Brandon, one of the top recruits in the nation who’s committed to Tennessee, filed a lawsuit alleging the State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction overstepped its authority by banning high school NIL activities earlier in 2024. The state senate passed a bill in 2023 directing the board of education to adopt rules allowing high school athletes to capitalize off their NIL.

NIL in high schools offer opportunities and risks for young people. One innovative idea emerged in Philadelphia, where lawmakers and Temple University have partnered to help educate families by creating a hotline for local athletes and their parents to call for free legal advice on potential NIL deals. Temple Law students are screening the calls. There will also be easy-to-understand publication resources created so athletes know their rights.

The NIL Youth Protection Bill was unanimously passed by the Philadelphia City Council in 2023, but then-Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney failed to sign it into law, resulting in a pocket veto. Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who also coaches high school basketball, has since reintroduced the legislation. If passed, the bill would establish provisions related to education and counseling for Philadelphia youth and families with an annual income of less than $150,000.

Thomas, who started the Temple partnership even without the passage of the bill, believes Philadelphia will set an example to other major cities, particularly those with athletes living in poverty. “We think that we can create a new precedent as it relates to public-private partnership with sports spaces, specifically to look at issues around NIL,” Thomas told the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

Clubs, high school teams and families are increasingly using artificial intelligence. The analytics that dominate pro and college sports are now trickling down to younger levels – or at least for some who can afford this new endeavor. The growing sports technology industry is increasingly selling computer vision algorithms, wearable biometric sensors, and predictive analysis services through AI to youth clubs and high school athletic departments. For better or worse, it’s supercharging the dynamics of some club and high school teams.

Take the case of how the Mustang Soccer League in Danville, California, as described in a story by Gizmodo. The league, where the seasonal costs to play range from $350 for U-5 to $2,550 for children at the highest competitive level, is building out a data analytics department through Darkhorse AI that will cost some children an extra $250 per year. The league is beginning to discuss high-level analytics with players as young as 10 to instill habits for when they get older. They’re using object recognition algorithms to catalogue stats such whether a player touches the ball at a better height than competitors. Biometric data captures players’ heart rate and running speed. 

In Michigan, high school volleyball coach Ashley Brown told Gizmodo that AI is helping her with some of the difficult conversations she has with players and parents about playing time. She can now tell them that “it’s not because I don’t like your kid; this is a computer system and software system that are rating these things based on these parameters,” she said.

AI is also being used by many platforms to create highlight clips. For instance, Athlete.ai touts itself as “democratizing access to highlight creation and scouting reports” for athletes who traditionally don’t get seen by colleges. Instead of families spending hours going through game footage, selecting clips and piecing together a polished recruiting video, Athlete.ai says all footage is instantly uploaded to the child’s file, allowing access to share highlights on social media within minutes of the game’s conclusion. The platform also compiles data to generate scouting reports with strengths and areas for improvement to share with college coaches or posted on social media.

The trend to analytics at younger levels may be valuable for some children. But it’s also not hard to envision how technology could create a new arms race and increase the unhealthy aspects of youth sports as children and parents fight for attention from recruiters and on social media. The data is now here for families with means to chase certain athletic metrics. How we use it is up to us. There’s a real risk it will ramp up even more the pressure on children and the costs to play.

Physical activity among U.S. youth continues to trend downward. The Physical Activity Alliance’s latest U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth showed another year of C and D grades. Overall physical activity received a D- grade – the same as in 2022 and 2014. Today, only 20%-28% of youth ages 6-17 meet the 60 minutes of daily physical activity guideline, and that has not increased in the past decade. Other grades tied to physical activity:

• Organization sports participation, C-: This was lowered from a C two years ago due to updated sources showing decreases in participation and large economic disparities.

• Active transportation, D-: This remained the same because the percentage of children who usually walk or bike to school (10%) has not increased in the past decade.

• Sedentary behavior, D: This dropped from a D because children are on screens more.

• School, D: This stayed the same because high school P.E. participation has not increased over a decade and too few secondary schools implement a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program.

• Community and built environment, C+: This increased from a C as 76% of youth ages 6-17 live in a neighborhood with sidewalks or walking paths.

The C grades mean the U.S. is succeeding with about half of children. The D grades mean there’s success with less than half (20%-39%). The report is intended to inform decision making and advocacy efforts regarding how parents, teachers, health professionals, community leaders, and policy makers can implement new initiatives, programs, and policies in support of healthy environments to improve the physical activity levels and health of children.

Major cities are investing more in parks. In the 2023 fiscal year, $11.2 billion was invested in city parks across the 100 most populous U.S. cities, up from $9.7 billion in 2022, according to Trust for Public Land. That’s the most since the pre-2007 Great Recession even after adjusting for inflation. The 100 most populous cities represent 20% of the U.S. population.

A research report by Trust for Public Land found that civic and business leaders are investing in parks and open spaces to respond to pressing economic challenges. Local public park and recreation agencies in the U.S. generate more than $201 billion in economic activity and support almost 1.1 million jobs that boosted labor income by more than $63 billion from their operations and capital spending in 2021.

“City leaders are seeking opportunities to grow their tax base and retain and attract more businesses and residents,” the report wrote. “In the post-pandemic era when employers offer geographic mobility, it is more important than ever that cities invest in place, specifically parks and open spaces, to attract and retain a diverse workforce.”

Trust for Public Land studied five cities – Atlanta, Boise (Idaho), Boston, Minneapolis and Plano (Texas) – to show how cities can leverage investments in parks to catalyze economic growth, drive greater economic mobility and create wealth-building opportunities for communities. Among the findings:

• Cities experiencing economic growth, regardless of size or location, are investing more in parks and open spaces.

• Cities that invest in parks and open spaces attract a diverse workforce.

• Growing, diverse workforces attract companies to start and expand their businesses in these cities.

• Targeted investments and strategies to promote inclusivity and mitigate displacement are critical to ensure equitable growth in cities.