How Many Participate in Sports or Exercise on an Average Day?

Nearly one in five Americans aged 15 or older (19 percent) participates in sports, exercise, or recreation on an average day, according to the American Time Use Survey. Of the many sports and recreational activities in which people participate, fewer than two dozen attract at least 1 million enthusiasts on an average day. Here they are...

Number (and %) of people aged 15-plus participating in sport/exercise on average day, 2017
1. Walking: 16.6 million (6.4%)
2. Working out (unspecified): 9.0 million (3.5%)
3. Weightlifting/strength training: 7.9 million (3.1%)
4. Running: 4.9 million (1.9%)
5. Swimming/water sports: 4.2 million (1.6%)
6. Biking: 2.6 million (1.0%)
7. Doing yoga: 1.9 million (0.7%)
8. Using cardiovascular equipment: 1.8 million (0.7%)
9. Playing basketball: 1.6 million (0.6%)
10. Playing soccer: 1.1 million (0.4%)
11. Golfing: 1.0 million (0.4%)

These figures do not include all those who bicycle or walk to work, which is logged as travel related to work rather than sports or exercise. In 2017, about 800,000 people usually bicycled to work and 4 million usually walked to work, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of unpublished tables from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2017 American Time Use Survey

Teens from Poor Families Less Likely to Play Sports

Teenagers at or near poverty level are much less likely than their higher-income counterparts to play sports, according to the Census Bureau's Survey of Income and Program Participation. Among all teenagers aged 12 to 17, a substantial 44.5 percent participate in sports. But this figure is as low as 33 percent among those with family incomes below poverty level. Here is the percentage of teens who play sports by family income...

Percent of 12-to-17-year-olds who play sports by family income relative to poverty level
Family income below poverty level: 32.9%
100 to 199 percent of poverty level: 35.2%
200 to 299 percent of poverty level: 44.3%
300 to 399 percent of poverty level: 51.3%
400 percent or more of poverty level: 56.5%

Poor and near-poor teens are also are less likely to take part in other extracurricular activities such as clubs and lessons. This is a problem, the Census Bureau says, because "participation in activities is particularly important for children from low-income families as it mediates some of the socioeconomic disadvantage."

Source: Census Bureau, A Child's Day: Parental Interaction, School Engagement, and Extracurricular Activities: 2014

15% of High School Students Report Concussion in Past Year

Among the nation's high school students, 15 percent report having experienced at least one concussion during the past year, according to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Concussion is defined as "when a blow or a jolt to the head causes problems such as headaches, dizziness, being dazed or confused, difficulty remembering or concentrating, vomiting, blurred vision, or being knocked out."

Seventeen percent of boys and 13 percent of girls report a concussion in the past year. The prevalence of concussion varies greatly by the number of sports played...

Percent of high school students with at least one concussion in the past year
Play no sports: 7.6%
Play one sport: 16.7%
Play two sports: 22.9%
Play three+ sports: 30.3%

Source: CDC, Self-Reported Concussions from Playing a Sport or Being Physically Active among High School Students—United States, 2017

37% Say Football is Favorite Sport to Watch

Football is still America's favorite spectator sport, according to a Gallup survey. The 37 percent who say football is their favorite sport is below the peak of 43 percent in 2006 and 2007, but still far above any other sport. Basketball is number two, the favorite of just 11 percent of the public. Baseball is third (9 percent), and soccer is fourth (7 percent). Soccer is now more popular than auto racing (2 percent).

Men are more likely than women to name football as their favorite sport, but for both men and women football is by far the favorite...

Football is favorite sport to watch

Men: 42%

Women: 32%

Fifteen percent of Americans say they don't have a favorite sport, nearly double the 8 percent of 2000. 

Source: Gallup, Football Still Americans' Favorite Sport to Watch

Divided Over the National Anthem

Should professional athletes be required to stand during the national anthem? Americans are divided on the issue, according to PRRI's 2017 American Values Survey. Overall, the 55 percent majority of the public thinks athletes should be required to stand, but attitudes differ by demographic characteristic and political affiliation...

Professional athletes should be required to stand during national anthem (% who agree)
Total aged 18-plus: 55%

Blacks: 23%
Hispanics: 60%
Non-Hispanic Whites: 61%

Non-Hispanic Whites with college degree: 47%
Non-Hispanic Whites without college degree: 69%

Democrats: 32%
Republicans: 86%

Aged 18 to 29: 43%
Aged 65-plus: 68%

Source: PRRI, One Nation, Divided, Under Trump: Findings from the 2017 American Values Survey

Steep Drop in Republican Fans of Pro Football

Professional football remains the nation's most popular sport, but it's not as popular as it used to be. The 57 percent majority of American aged 18 or older say they are fans of pro football, according to a Gallup survey. But that's down by a full 10 percentage points from the 67 percent of 2012 (the last time Gallup asked the question). The decline has been especially steep among Republicans (–15 percentage points) and independents (–12 percentage points)...

Fans of professional football in 2017 (and 2012)
Democrats: 66% (69%)
Independents: 53% (65%)
Republicans: 55% (70%)

"It is uncertain how much the national anthem controversy has contributed to the decline in pro football fans compared with other controversies or factors," concludes Gallup.

Source: Gallup, Pro Football Losing Fans; Other Sports Holding Steady

How Many Bicycle on an Average Day?

One in five Americans aged 15 or older participates in sports, exercise, or recreation on an average day, according to the American Time Use Survey. Only a handful of sports attract more than 1 million participants on a daily basis...

Number (and percent) of people aged 15-plus participating on an average day, 2015
Walking: 16.3 million (6.4%)
Weightlifting: 6.2 million (2.4%)
Running: 4.8 million (1.9%)
Using cardiovascular equipment: 4.8 million (1.9%)
Water sports: 3.3 million (1.3%)
Yoga: 1.6 million (0.6%)
Biking: 1.5 million (0.6%)
Golfing: 1.3 million (0.5%)
Basketball: 1.1 million (0.4%)

Those most likely to walk on an average day are people aged 75 or older (10 percent). No surprise there. More surprising are the demographics of those who bicycle on an average day. Bicycling peaks in two age groups—teens aged 15 to 19 and retirees aged 75-plus.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015 American Time Use Survey

Median Age of Sports Participants

The median age of people who participate in sports and exercise on an average day varies greatly by activity, according to the American Time Use Survey...

Median age of participants (in years)
Football: 16.1
Basketball: 16.9
Soccer: 17.8
Baseball: 19.0
Running: 29.0
Weight lifting: 32.5
Swimming: 38.2
Bowling: 40.0
Cycling: 41.6
Hiking: 42.4
Yoga: 46.2
Cardio equipment: 46.7
Aerobics: 49.6
Walking: 52.8
Golfing: 53.1

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Spotlight on Statistics, Sports and Exercise

Who Gets Hurt Playing Sports?

More than 8.5 million Americans aged 5 or older are injured each year while playing sports or participating in recreational activities, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. These are not minor bumps and bruises but medically attended injuries affecting a substantial 3.4 percent of the population.

• The 61% majority of the injured are male.
• Most of the injured are aged 5 to 14 (37%) or 15 to 24 (28%).
• Most injuries occur at school (23%) or sport facility/athletic field/playground (35%).
• Among males, the three most common activities causing injury are football (12%), basketball (12%), and aerobics/exercising/weight training (8%).
• Among females, the three most common activities causing injury are gymnastics/cheerleading (11%), aerobics/exercising/weight training (8%), and cycling (7%).
• Falling is the most common cause of injury (28%), followed by overexertion (17%).
• Sprains/strains are the most common injury (41%), followed by fractures (20%).

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Statistics Reports, Sports- and Recreation-Related Injury Episodes in the United States, 2011-2014

Football is America's Favorite Sport

Football is by far America's favorite sport, according to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute (go figure). Fully 38 percent of adults say football is their favorite. Then comes basketball (11 percent), baseball (9 percent), soccer (8 percent), auto racing (6 percent), and ice hockey (5 percent). Only 13 percent of Americans say they don't watch sports.

Source: Public Religion Research Institute, Nearly One-Third of Americans Say They Would Not Let Their Son Play Football

Who Follows Major League Baseball?

Overall, 37 percent of Americans aged 18 or older say they follow major league baseball. There are surprisingly few differences in the percentage of people who are baseball fans by demographic characteristic, with the figure ranging from 35 to 40 percent by generation, 34 to 42 percent by race and Hispanic origin, 32 to 47 percent by education, and 31 to 45 percent by household income. There is a bigger gap by sex (27 percent of women and 47 percent of men), but the biggest difference is by region...

Percentage of adults who follow major league baseball by region
Northeast: 46%
Midwest: 46%
West: 38%
South: 25%

Source: Harris Interactive, For More than a Decade, the NY Yankees Have Been America's Favorite Baseball Team

Do You Watch It Live?

Among Americans who watch selected types of television programming, percentage who most often watch shows live (or delayed)...

Professional football: 81% (19%)
College basketball: 69% (31%)
Professional baseball: 69% (31%)
Evening talk/comedy: 52% (48%)
Comedies: 45% (55%)
Dramas: 44% (55%)

Source: Harris Interactive, Sports Broadcasts Holding the Line Against "Delayed Viewership" Incursion

The God of Sports

Does God determine who wins sporting events? Twenty-seven percent of Americans say yes, according to a survey by the Public Religion Research Institute. An even larger share of the public--the 53 percent majority, in fact--thinks God rewards athletes who have faith.

The belief that God is involved in sporting events is stronger in the South than anywhere else. Thirty-six percent of southerners believe God decides who wins. Sixty-one percent believe God rewards athletes who have faith.

Source: Public Religion Research Institute, Nearly 3-in-10 Americans Say God Plays a Role in Outcomes of Sports Events