The new stats are out! Paintball now is 9.8 million U.S. players strong. The #3 extreme sport grew 66% from 1998 (5.9 million players) to the new 9.8 million mark. The growth stands at 13.3% from ‘02 to ‘03.
The source for these statistics is the latest SGMA International "Sports Participation in America: A National Attraction" edition (2004), which reports results from 2003 surveys. The Superstudy of Sports Participation (conducted by American Sports Data, Inc.) tracks paintball, along with many other sports. The report covers 103 athletic activities. The study notes that a major factor in the participation growth has been population growth.
• What is the most popular U.S. sport? Strike! Bowling. It's still "king of the hill" in the USA. Fishing (53 million) is in second place.
• Since 1998, "thrill seekers" keep driving participation numbers higher. In 2003, the survey shows these totals: #1 is In-line skating with 19,233,000 (down 10.8%); #2 is Skateboarding. 11,090,000 (down 14.7%). Paintball (9,835,000 (up 13.3%) has the potential to move up next year, if trends continue.
• Getting fit is increasingly important. Low impact fitness activities such as yoga and tai chi are "soaring in popularity," the report says. Some 36.3 million people were health club members in 2002, up from 20.7 million in 1990.
Over all, with obesity a serious health concern in America, it’s important to participate in sports and recreational activities.
A Closer Look Several interesting shifts appear in the paintball statistics for “frequent participants” (those who play paintball over 15 times a year).
The north central region player percentages continue to grow; they now are 30.9% of the total. The player percentage in the south has declined, now having only 37% of the total. The northeast and west each showed less than a 1% change from 2002.
The size of the age groups in paintball are shifting also. Among frequent players, the 12-17 age bracket increased from 54% to 59%. The 35-44 age bracket increased from 3% to 4.6%. The 45-54 age bracket went from statistically insignificant to 4.7%. The 55-64 age bracket also became visible at .4%. Most of these increases were offset by declines in the 18-24 and 6-11 age brackets, leaving only a 1.3% increase in the number of frequent participants.
The average age of the frequent paintball participants increased from 18.3 to 20.1.
The percentage of women players has moved from 13.2% in 2000, to 15.3% in 2001, 16.9% in 2002, and then to 7.5% in 2003.
Average household income for paintball players shifted from $55,700 to $45,600. The changes reflect a drop in the number of above-$50,000 income households and an increase in the number of $25,000-$34,999 income households.
More players are from large cities (above 2,000,000 population), with an increase from 23% to 29.5%. The player base in the 100,000-1,999,999 population cities declined from 43.1% to 36%. Non-metro areas remained steady at just above 34%.
The number of full time student participants dropped from 14.1% to 8.4%, but the number of participants with college degrees increased from 1.4% to 2.4%. The percentage of players who have advanced degrees strongly increased from .7% to 2.8%.
The percentage of players who live in households with internet access jumped from 75.6 % to 94.2%.
This information has been abstracted from the Superstudy on Sports Participation conducted by American Sports Data, Inc., which monitors more than 100 sports and fitness activities. SGMA International, owner of The Super Show, is the global business trade association of manufacturers and marketers of sports apparel, athletic footwear, licensed products, fitness, sporting goods equipment and related business/professional organizations. SGMA International advances members' interests through a major trade show, market research, communications, public policy, sports promotion, and international business development programs. SGMA International, 200 Castlewood Drive, North Palm Beach, FL 33408; www.sgma.com.
The photos, taken by Skirmish.com are of paintball players from among the 9.8 million in the U.S. All photos were taken at Skirmish USA, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, one of the largest and longest-running paintball play sites in the world. Most Popular Extreme Sports in the USA - 2003 Sport / # of Participants [% change from 2002 to 2003]*
1. In-line skating. 19,233,000 [-10.8%]
2. Skateboarding. 11,090,000 [-14.7%]
3. Paintball. 9,835,000 [+13.3%]
4. Artificial Wall Climbing. 8,634,000 [+20.2%]
5. Snowboarding. 7,818,000 [+22.0%]
6. Mountain Biking. 6,940,000 [+3.3%]
7. Trail Running. 6,109,000 [+8.5%]
8. BMX Bicycling 3,365,000 [-13.4%]
9. Wakeboarding. 3,356,000 [+6.8%]
10. Roller Hockey. 2,718,000 [-5.5%]
11. Mountain/Rock Climbing. 2,169,000 [+3.8%]
12. Boardsailing/Windsurfing. 779,000 [+57.1%]
* The survey was of the U.S. population age 6 or older, who participated at least once in the sport or activity in 2003.
