Baseball and Softball Combine to Become the Most Participated Team Sports in United States, According to SFIA Report

With nearly 25 million participants, baseball and softball combined to rank as the most participated team sports in the united states in 2016 according to the annual report produced by the sports & fitness industry association (SFIA), major league baseball announced today.

With nearly 25 million participants, baseball and softball combined to rank as the most participated team sports in the United States in 2016 according to the annual report produced by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), Major League Baseball announced today. Findings in this year”s Topline Participation Report were presented during the quarterly MLB owners meetings, which concluded today, and included the following data:

• Overall baseball participation increased by 7.7% and slow-pitch softball participation increased by 8.1% in 2016, with casual participation in both baseball and slow-pitch softball showing the highest growth.

• In 2016, casual participation in baseball rose by 18.1% and slow-pitch softball increased by 12.4%.

• Casual participation in baseball and slow-pitch softball is up 34% over the last five years.

• When combined, baseball and softball (fast-and slow-pitch) have more casual participants than any other sport (10.25 million total casual participants).