Consumer

Sports participation

Participation patterns and sports trends shaping demand—tracking which activities are growing or declining, endurance sports evolution, emerging sports adoption, fitness movements, barriers to participation, and the behavioral shifts driving sporting goods consumption.

Latest

a-c-qj7m5ec6N7A-unsplash

Social: female athletes’ biggest asset – and liability

2026-02-25T22:16:00+00:00By and

Women’s sports revenue is growing faster than men’s. Female athletes generate more social engagement. But visibility carries a cost brands rarely pay for.

prashant gurung via unsplash

US tennis hits record 27.3 million players

2026-02-20T11:13:00+00:00By

Adults 35+ drove nearly all growth, while more than 4.9 million Americans picked up a racquet for the first time.

johannes-kopf via unsplash

GB triathlon participation returns to growth

2026-02-18T10:20:00+00:00By

120,000 active triathletes recorded in 2025 – but the sport remains 28,000 below its pre-pandemic peak.

alexis fauvet via unsplash

Spain sees sports participation surge to 62.7%

2026-02-06T11:58:00+00:00By

Ministry survey reveals sports participation jumped 5.4% since 2022, with women narrowing the gender gap and professional coaching seeing significant growth.

soheb zaidi awin via unsplash

US golf participation hits eight-year growth streak

2026-02-04T15:11:00+00:00By

On-course participation surpassed 29 million in 2025, marking eight consecutive years of growth and reinforcing the sport’s resilience

Colin Lloyd via Unsplash

Visa Study: AI reshapes winter sports participation

2026-01-30T06:57:00+00:00By

AI is reshaping how Americans engage with winter sports, with 44% planning snowboarding bookings inspired by the Olympics, Visa study shows.

Luciano Oliveira via Unsplash

Fans and sports: what can be improved? New research

2026-01-26T07:31:00+00:00By

New research identifies a “joy gap” in sports: fans want 90-minute experiences with light spectacle and micro-agency, not scripted drama or endless games.

mario-la-pergola via unsplash

Ironman reports record registrations in 2025

2026-01-19T16:33:00+00:00By

The organization has reported over 250,000 race registrations across Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events in the season.

taiki ishikawa via unsplash

France sports economy reaches €78bn

2026-01-19T16:32:00+00:00By

Banking group BPCE report reveals French sports economy represents 2.7% of GDP, with 147,000 companies and strong post-Olympics momentum.

2025: Reflected by Polar

Polar 2025 data reveals structured training surge

2026-01-13T17:13:00+00:00By

Sports tech firm Polar reports users averaged 301 minutes of weekly training in 2025, twice WHO recommendations, with 87% tracking heart rate.

padel adidas

Padel’s next frontier: US market prepares for explosive growth, with lessons from Europe

2025-10-08T06:50:00+01:00By

A new report outlines how America’s padel market could expand tenfold by 2030.

Cover Page

SFIA releases mid-year sports participation report

2025-08-27T15:18:00+01:00By

A new mid-year report from US fitness industry trade group SFIA shows rising inactivity and cost concerns despite growth in select winter and racquet sports.

Sweating woman after fitness or running

Endurance athletes need more support for sweat management

2025-08-01T14:07:00+01:00By

Sweat poses significant performance challenges and safety risks for endurance athletes, suggests a study.

uefa womens football

Women’s football to enter global top five sports by 2030, according to new report

2025-06-23T06:14:00+01:00By

The majority of its fan base is projected to be female.

world athletics

World Athletics gains top spot in social media engagement, suggests new report

2025-04-06T08:09:00+01:00By

World Athletics has reached the top of the “SportOnSocial International Federations 2025 Report” by Redtorch.

Padel

European padel on the rise by yet another measure

2025-03-17T06:12:00+00:00By

Have the Swedes gone cold?

saudi padel

A glimpse of Saudi padel

2025-02-24T07:32:00+00:00By

Saudi Arabia is the Middle Eastern country with the highest number of padel players. Over the next five years (by 2030) Saudi Arabia hopes to register 5,000 players in local competitions.

padel italy

Padel continues to grow in Italy

2025-02-02T07:36:00+00:00By

The country passed the milestone of 4,000 indoor padel courts in 2024 and is expected to reach 10,000 courts overall this year.

SGIE Daily Digest

Stay informed. Stay ahead.
Every weekday in your inbox.

The news, analysis and competitive signals that matter — curated for industry professionals.

Sign up for free
World of Fitness

World of Fitness

Business intelligence on the fitness economy: gyms, studios, connected platforms, tech adoption, and participation trends driving sporting goods demand.

Explore Fitness Coverage →