Ohio’s youth sports participation declines in recent years, but still exceeds national average

The decline in youth sports participation among children in Ohio is a concerning trend that has been observed over the past few years. According to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, the percentage of kids playing sports after school or on weekends in Ohio decreased by 4.7 percentage points from 2016 to 2022.

In 2016-17, 61% of children aged 6 to 17 in Ohio participated in sports teams or took sports lessons outside of school hours. However, by 2021-22, this number dropped to 56.3%. While Ohio is still above the national average for children playing sports, the overall decrease in youth sports participation in the United States is 7.3%.

Playing sports has numerous benefits for children, including improvements in physical and mental health. However, there are several barriers that prevent kids from participating in sports, such as increasing fees, lack of access to facilities, and time constraints, especially for lower-income families.

Interestingly, the only income group in Ohio where participation increased were students at or below the poverty line, rising from 33% to 37.6%. On the other hand, the sharpest drop came from those whose family incomes were between one and two times the federal poverty level, decreasing from 56.5% to 44.1%.

The data also shows that older children in Ohio are seeing faster declines in sports participation compared to their younger counterparts. Additionally, male youth sports participation is dropping faster than female participation in the state.

Overall, the decline in youth sports participation in Ohio raises concerns about the physical and mental well-being of children and highlights the need for addressing barriers to sports participation for all kids.