Americans Have Quit Playing Around Exercise-Oriented Sports Gain In Popularity As Games Drop Off

When it comes to Americans’ participation in sports, in-line skating is bigger than ever, while traditional games like golf and football are flagging in popularity.

A survey of sports participation showed Americans generally are doing more exercise-related activities instead of playing games.

A report by American Sports Data, a polling firm in Hartsdale, N.Y., indicated a 19.9-percent rise in in-line skating, to 22.5 million people. Participation in roller hockey was up 15.6 percent to 4.2 million participants.

Competitive sports such as golf, baseball and football weren’t as fashionable, according to the results of a questionnaire filled out by 171,191 people. Golf participation fell 7.5 percent to 24.6 million Americans. Baseball was down 5.1 percent, to 16.2 million, and touch football was down 13.4 percent to 16.2 million.

The study considered participation to be at least one game in 1995 by someone 6 years of age or older.

The number of people who exercise in any one activity hit 52.7 million, up 8 percent over 1994.

“There’s a pretty strong psychological connection between a person and a fitness activity,” said Harvey Lauer, ASD’s president. “They are going to keep doing it, no matter what.”

Lauer thinks Americans feel they don’t have enough discretionary income, and believes this has cut into their willingness to spend on sports.

But Lauer’s study also found weaknesses in some fitness activities. Aerobic dancing has lost some of its bloom. Growth has been taking place in weight training, he said.

High-impact aerobics showed an 8.2 percent drop in participants, to 10.5 million Americans ages 6 or older doing it at least once in 1995. Low-impact aerobics lost 3.3 percent, to 13.7 million. Step aerobics showed virtually no change at 12.6 million.

On the other hand, resistance machine exercisers rose by 23.6 percent, to 22.9 million, and free weights rose by 10.5 percent, to 39.7 million. This may reflect the move of women into gyms, as well as more weight training by older people, Lauer said.

“It represents a remarkable change in values when you compare women’s mindsets vs. the 1960s, when it was considered bad form for a woman to sweat, let alone grow muscles.”

Older people are discovering the value of weight training to keep their bones strong, Lauer said. Researchers have found that relatively light weights can be used to fight the brittle-bone disease, osteoporosis.

Lauer’s data are paralleled by research being prepared by the National Sporting Goods Association, which surveys 45 activities. It finds 25 with less participation, 19 with more and one with no change, said Thomas B. Doyle, a vice president.

“I tend to view it as a shifting of activities,” Doyle said. “People are buying less but spending more. You make the presumption that people are willing to pay more for stuff they really want, and there won’t be as much stuff cluttering the closet.”