Baseball participation in U.S. at highest recorded level since '08

According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) Topline Participation Report for 2023, Baseball participation is at nearly 16.7 million in the United States, the highest officially recorded level since SFIA’s survey of more than 120 sports began in 2008. Casual participation in baseball, which is comprised of casual forms of play that are championed by the PLAY BALL initiative (www.PlayBall.org), is at more than 8.9 million participants – also an all-time high in the history of SFIA’s tracking and an increase of +108% from 2014 (the year prior to the launch of PLAY BALL).

Additional data points from the SFIA report:

• Softball participation grew by nearly 500,000, a +6% increase from the previous year.
• Baseball and softball, combined, saw a larger percentage increase of participation (+7.6%) over basketball (+5.6%) and football (+3.6%).
• Combined participation in baseball and softball is at approximately 25.3 million, which is the highest level since 2018.

In the most recent U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report by SFIA (2022), baseball had the highest participation numbers among boys, ages 6-12. Baseball and softball, combined, also had the highest participation that same year among boys and girls, ages 6-12.

The SFIA is the premier trade association for more than 700 sporting goods and fitness brands, manufacturers, retailers, governing bodies, and sports leagues in the industry representing over 3,000 business locations, plants, and distribution centers. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), formerly the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), was founded in 1906 by a group of sporting goods manufacturers who sought to form an organization to meet the needs of the industry. In 2012, after redefining the mission, core services, and communications platform, SGMA’s name changed to SFIA to focus on promoting sports and fitness participation and industry vitality.

The PLAY BALL initiative, which was launched by MLB and USA Baseball in 2015, has provided opportunities for youth domestically and around the world. MLB is continuing that commitment throughout 2024 with an expansive collection of event categories, which includes activations at nearly every special moment of the Baseball calendar, centered on the global PLAY BALL Weekend from June 14^th-16^th.

PLAY BALL events will be held throughout the year on six continents, involving all 30 MLB Clubs, 120 MiLB Clubs, Partner League Clubs, more than 300 Mayors in the United States and Puerto Rico (via the U.S. Conference of Mayors), and various key partners, including Little League Baseball & Softball International, Franklin Sports, and the national governing bodies of the sport – USA Baseball & USA Softball. Events will celebrate the MLB World Tour (Dominican Republic, Seoul, Mexico City, London), MLB at Rickwood Field, MLB All-Star Week (via PLAY BALL PARK in Capital One All-Star Village), the World Series presented by Capital One, Jackie Robinson Day, Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One, the Arizona Fall League, and more. In addition to events already held to celebrate the NFCA Leadoff Classic, National Girls & Women in Sports Day, and Black History Month, PLAY BALL activations will be hosted during Military Appreciation Month and Hispanic Heritage Month.

Fun At Bat, which is an in-school, introductory program for young children under the PLAY BALL umbrella, will continue to be activated in all 50 States, Washington D.C. and in every public school in Puerto Rico. Additionally, Fun At Bat is operated in Mexico, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The program has reached millions of youth in the United States alone. Pitch, Hit & Run, MLB’s official skills competition, will continue operating FREE local competitions, with top performers advancing to TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS held at every MLB Club ballpark, eventually leading to the NATIONAL FINALS at the World Series presented by Capital One.

These efforts are complemented by the ongoing MLB Develops programs designed to build greater access and opportunity within baseball and softball among diverse communities. Programs such as DREAM Series, Breakthrough Series, Hank Aaron Invitational (co-operated with the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation), Elite Development Invitational, MLB Tour & MLB Grit: Girls ID Tour and more are held throughout the year to build the pipeline of both baseball and softball.

PLAY BALL is baseball’s global youth initiative to inspire participation in both baseball softball, including casual play, formal leagues, and special events. The introductory-level baseball and softball activities during PLAY BALL events have been established to encourage greater accessibility to the diamond sports while demonstrating the variety of ways in which the game can be played in almost any setting. To learn more about MLB’s PLAY BALL initiative, visit PlayBall.org.