Youth Baseball Participation Challenges

Are kids really losing interest in sports? Many adult American’s gut reaction is to give an instinctual ‘yes’ to this question. The snappiest of the bunch would likely be baseball fans, who currently sit with a claustrophobic panic that the walls are closing in on interest in America’s pastime. Is this really the case?

The Aspen Institute is a non-profit organization who focus on Humanistic Studies. One of their programs, Project Play, tracks and records youth participation in sports over time, sorted into different demographics such as age, social class, race, gender, specific sports, and many more.

Baseball, Football, and Basketball Trends

The data shows that youth participation in baseball has in fact gone down between 2009 and 2020 for both age groups 6-12 and 13-17. Tackle football, on the other hand, stays roughly consistent for ages 6-12, however sees an increase over the ages 13-17 during this time. Here is the kicker though, in raw numbers, by age 17 in 2021, there are still more baseball players than football players. This may come as shocking for those familiar with how NFL and MLB TV viewership would assumingely indicate a much higher tackle football participation than baseball. Regardless, while raw numbers remain in baseballs favor for participation for now, trends are not going in their favorable direction.

Youth basketball participation tells a unique story of its own. For both mentioned age groups, basketball participation follows the downward trend of baseball. However, in terms of raw total numbers, basketball participation soars far above baseball and football.

Challenges for Baseball

I would like to address some possible disadvantages baseball faces compared to that of basketball and football when trying to recruit athletes of the future. I have already addressed baseballs marketing problem, so they will not be addressed in the rest of this piece.

1. More equipment required

Baseball requires a lot of equipment, and the prices add up quickly. Each player supplies their own glove, bat, cleats, usually batting helmet, and accessories such as batting gloves. It is no wonder baseball appeals less to lower income families, when basketball only requires sneakers and a ball. Football also has an advantage here because helmets and pads are usually supplied by the programs already.

2. Less playing field maintenance required

Basketball has the clear advantage in this category. Basketball courts are either indoors or outside on concrete and require almost zero maintenance, making them economic to build with tax dollars. Football requires much work with lawn cutting and line painting if on a natural field. But with the growing popularity of turf fields, the need for extra work is fading away. For baseball, turn fields are much less common. Natural baseball fields require much maintenance to be done on the different terrains (grass, mound, dirt) for safety reasons alone. It is the only of the three discussed sports that needs to be weeded. When considering equipment and manpower, the price continues to rise for fields.

3. Need a large space to play

Again, basketball has the biggest advantage because a court is so small, multiple can be built in a small space. Everything about promoting basketball is economic for tax payers and private institutions looking to invest in sports. Football fields, while obviously are massive, still can fit inside a baseball field. Football fields also have multiple use for additional events such as soccer, lacrosse, frisbee, and track and field. Beyond that, baseballs travel beyond the field of play, so not only does the field itself require so much space for the field itself, but needs a lot of empty space on the exterior for safety reasons. On top of that, baseball is seasonal, and cannot be used for other sports or activities, unless the outfield converts to a football field (which is common). From a personal to a public level, everything about baseball screams money and resources, while basketball oozes cheap, simple, and economic benefits.

4. Can practice on your own

Noticing a pattern? Basketball has the highest youth participation rate and still maintains important advantages. Anyone can go in the driveway or in a public court by themselves and participate in a beneficial practice. Baseball at least can be achieved in a batting cage with a tee or a pitching machine, but you won’t be getting fielding practice. Football requires multiple people plain and simple.

5. Can begin playing later in life and still be successful

This category is footballs biggest advantage. Football can be picked up in high school and players can find success. Skills of football are so specialized that anyone athletic can make their way on a team with good work ethic. In fact, high school is often times where football gets an explosion of new players who’s parents were reluctant to let kids play earlier due to safety concerns.

Basketball would definitely be more difficult to begin in preteen/teenage years, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the difficulty of baseball. Baseball uniquely has to be played from a young age in order for success to be achieved by high school. This is not to say that basketball and football are not difficult, but baseball requires an earlier investment and a different kind of patience. As a result, baseball is not very inviting to kids who did not get the itch for it immediately.

Are there other challenges baseball faces to get kids interested? Let us know!

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