Sports participation rates in a post-pandemic world are all over the place, but one bright spot in both overall activity numbers and high school participation centers on running. That’s because in 2025, as a move towards more wellness-oriented activities takes hold, Running/Jogging has emerged as the most intended activity among younger age groups, while for the older age groups working out with Weights and Treadmill use showed strong appeal.

Then at the high school level, outdoor track and field registered a significant participation increase and remained the top participatory sport for girls and number two (behind tackle football) for boys. Those numbers come from NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, which found that high school athletics participation increased by nearly 200,000 in 2024-25, continuing an upward trajectory since the pandemic and registering an all-time high for participation.

“While some categories show modest declines, the data also reveals areas of resilience and growth,” reports Alex Kerman, senior director and head of research for SFIA, which last month published its inaugural “First Half Game Plan: Key Moves in Sports Participation Report.” Although running was one of the highlights, the rest of the results were decidedly mixed.

For example, in 2024, 22.6 percent of Americans were entirely inactive. First half of the year indicators for 2025 show that inactivity levels have increased to 22.9 percent. This equates to roughly one million more Americans not actively participating in sports or fitness activities of any kind. This increase is likely driven by ongoing market and economic uncertainty surrounding tariffs and a natural post-Olympic participation slowdown.

Interestingly, several sports prominently featured in the Paris Olympics last year are seeing modest declines in the SFIA data, including Swimming on a Team, down by 2.7 percent, Skateboarding by 2.4 percent, Soccer (Outdoor) by 1.7 percent, Surfing by 5.8 percent and Track and Field by 3.6 percent.

Despite the declines in rates of participation, there were positive takeaways from the data for the first half of 2025. Winter Sports saw the largest activity growth from July 2024 to June 2025, increasing by 1.7 percent, followed by modest gains in Fitness Activities (0.3 percent) and Racquet Sports (0.1 percent). Additionally, among the 30 sports with updated participation data, Pickleball remains the fastest-growing sport, with a 14.7 percent increase in participation.

With the current economic uncertainty – especially around tariffs – it is not surprising that the report revealed that increased costs remain the most significant barrier to youth sports participation, with 41 percent of parents citing it as the primary barrier to their children participating in sports.

The more positive report came from the NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, which found that high school athletics participation increased by nearly 200,000 in 2024-25, continuing an upward trajectory since the pandemic and registering an all-time high for participation.

The survey indicated that 8.3 million participants were involved in high school sports in 2024-25, which is up 198,589 from the previous year and tops the previous record of 8.1 million set in 2023-24. The total includes 4.7 million boys and 3.5 million girls – both record highs – according to figures obtained from the 51 NFHS member state associations, which includes the District of Columbia.
The 2024-25 total marked the third consecutive notable increase after numbers fell during the pandemic.

“It is wonderful to see the interest in high school sports reach new heights,” says Dr. Karissa Niehoff, CEO of the NFHS. “The immense value of high school sports is reflected in these impressive numbers. As high school students have consistently demonstrated their desire to play with their peers and represent their schools and community, state and school administrators have stepped up to offer more participation opportunities to meet that demand.”