Flag football is surging, while traditional team sports face five-year declines. From 2019 to 2024, regular flag football participation among children ages 6-12 grew by 14% — the largest gain of any youth team sport, according to Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) data. Meanwhile, baseball, tackle football, soccer and basketball all saw five-year decreases.

🔍 Methodology Note: SFIA tracks “core participation” (how often a child regularly plays in a year), whereas federal data associated with the 63% organized sports participation goal tracks if the child played on a team or took lessons.