Source: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA)
Silver Spring, MD – April 29, 2015 – Fitness-related activities captured eight of the top ten rankings for core sports participants in the United States for 2014, according to the 2015 Sports, Fitness, and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report published by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). Bicycling (Road/Paved Surface) with 20.4 million and Freshwater Fishing with 17.9 million core participants rounded out the top ten. Core participants are those who participate in a sport or activity on a regular basis (definitions vary by activity).
SFIA Top Ten Core Participation Activities (by number of participants):
- Activity (definition of core): # of core participants
1. Walking for Fitness (50+ times/year): 76.8 million
2. Running/Jogging (50+ times/year): 28 million
3. Treadmill (50+ times/year): 27.7 million
4. Stretching (50+ times/year): 26 million
5. Free Weights (Hand Weights) under 15 lbs. (50+ times/year): 24.8 million
6. Weight Resistance Machines (50+ times/year): 21.2 million
7. Bicycling (Road/Paved) (26+ times/year): 20.4 million
8. Free Weights (Dumbbells) over 15 lbs. (50+ times/year): 19 million
9. Fishing (Freshwater/Other) (8+ times/year): 17.9 million
10. Stationary Cycling (Recumbent/Upright) (50+ times/year): 17.4 million
While our recent PAC report highlighted the alarming number of inactive Americans, this report provides granular detail on active Americans- who is doing what and how much they are doing it. “It should come as no surprise that the fitness lifestyle continues to dominate the list,” said Cameron Jacobs, SFIA’s Research Manager. “All of the top ten activities provide flexibility to the participant in that they can be performed individually, are easily accessible, and determined by the participant’s schedule.”
The 2015 SFIA Sports, Fitness and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report, conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys USA, provide overall, casual, and core participation numbers for over 120 different sports and activities. During January and February of 2015, a total of 10,778 online interviews were carried out with a nationwide sample of individuals and households from the US Online Panel of over one million people operated by Synovate/IPSOS.
“We are proud to be able to provide the Topline report annually to our members & industry,” said Jacobs. “The figures contained within the report presents our members with valuable data that they can put to use within their own organizations.”
The 2015 SFIA Sports, Fitness and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report is FREE to all current SFIA members and $99 for non-members. More information about the report can be found here.
