Extreme sports have national appeal
From Florida to Alaska and from Maine to Hawaii, extreme sports are popular with the general public. According to Sporting Goods Manufacturer’s Association International’s analysis of the current Superstudy[R] of Sports Participation, extreme sports are an established trend and here to stay.
TOP 12 MOST POPULAR SPORTS
(based on # of participants in 2003)
1. Inline skating 19.2 million
2. Skateboarding 11 million
3. Paintball 9.8 million
4. Artificial Wall Climbing 8.6 million
5. Snowboarding 7.8 million
6. Mountain Biking 6.9 million
7. Trail Running 6.1 million
8. BMX Bicycling 3.3 million
9. Wakebearding 3.3 million
10. Roller Hockey 2.7 million
11. Mountain]Rock Climbing 2.1 million
12. Boardsailing/Windsurfing 779,000
Following are some additional facts on the 12 most popular extreme sports:
Inline skating: 51 percent of all inline skaters are female, yet 58 percent of all frequent (25-plus days/year) inline skaters are male.
Skateboarding: The average number of days of participation for a skateboarder in 2003 was 44 days.
Paintball: U.S. sales and overall participation in paintball have risen each year since 1998.
Artificial Wall Climbing: The average age of an artificial wall-climbing enthusiast in 2003 was 19.9 years of age.
Snowboarding: Sales of snowboard equipment in 2003 were $141 million (at wholesale).
Mountain Biking: Nearly 70 percent of mountain bikers are male.
Trail Running: Since the late 1990s, overall participation has grown 17.3 percent in trail running–from 5.2 million (in 1998) to 6.1 million (in 2003).
BMX Bicycling: The average age of a BMX cyclist in 2003 was 26.5 years of age.
Wakeboarding: The average annual household income of a wake boarder in 2003 was $73,400.
Roller Hockey: Of the 2.7 million roller hockey players, 33 percent of them (900,000) play the sport on a “frequent” (25-plus days/year) basis.
Mountain/Rock Climbing: Nearly 60 percent of mountain/rock climbers are male.
Boardsailing/Windsurfing: More than 40 percent of all board sailors live in the South, and more than 52 percent of board sailors live in cities with a population of more than two million.
COPYRIGHT 2004 National Recreation and Park Association
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
