Tag: Basketball

Top Sports in Colorado for High School Girls

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What were the top sports for high school girl athletes in Colorado in 2014?

Data from the National Federal of State High School Athletic Associations (NFHS), https://www.nfhs.org/, shows that the top sports for girls, from an athletic director’s perspective, are basketball, volleyball, track and field, cross-country, and soccer. More than 300 Colorado schools have basketball, volleyball, and track and field programs and greater than 200 schools have cross-country, and soccer programs.

At the bottom of the list are field hockey and alpine and cross-country ski programs.

Sport Number of Schools with Programs
Basketball 329
Volleyball 318
Track and Field — Outdoor 302
Cross Country 230
Soccer 213
Competitive Spirit Squad 190
Softball — Fast Pitch 178
Golf 164
Tennis 153
Swimming & Diving 153
Lacrosse 81
Gymnastics 66
Skiing — Alpine 14
Skiing — Cross Country 14
Field Hockey 13

Top Sports in Colorado - Volleyball

From the athlete’s perspective the ranking is much different. Volleyball is overwhelmingly the most popular sport followed by soccer, track and field, basketball, and tennis.

Alpine and cross-country ski programs are clearly at the bottom.

Sport Number of Participants
Volleyball 9,097
Soccer 7,623
Track and Field — Outdoor 7,334
Basketball 7,089
Competitive Spirit Squad 4,810
Tennis 4,552
Swimming & Diving 4,142
Cross Country 3,957
Softball — Fast Pitch 3,724
Lacrosse 1,604
Golf 1,514
Field Hockey 592
Gymnastics 543
Skiing — Alpine 151
Skiing — Cross Country 100

The data showed there are 175 girls participating in boy’s wrestling, baseball, football (11,8, and 6 player), and Ice hockey. There were 85 in wrestling and 42 in baseball.

Football, Basketball, and Track – Top Sports in Colorado

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What were the top sports in Colorado for boys in high school during the 2014 season?

Data from the National Federal of State High School Athletic Associations (NFHS), https://www.nfhs.org/, shows that the most popular sports, from an athletic director’s perspective, for boys are basketball, track and field, baseball, wrestling, and cross-country, and soccer. More than 300 Colorado schools have basketball programs. While just under 300 have track and field and baseball. If all levels of football (6,  8, and 11 player) are combined, then football is the third most popular sport.

Sport Number of Schools with Programs
Basketball 330
Track and Field — Outdoor 299
Baseball 279
Wrestling 240
Cross Country 230
Football — 11-Player 211
Soccer 211
Golf 189
Tennis 130
Swimming & Diving 118
Lacrosse 113
Ice Hockey 64
Football — 8-player 49
Football — 6-player 35
Skiing — Alpine 14
Skiing — Cross Country 14

At the bottom of the list are alpine and cross-country ski programs.

From the athlete’s perspective the ranking is much different. Despite concerns about concussions, football is overwhelmingly the most popular sport. It is followed by track and field, basketball, baseball, and soccer.  At that point there is a significant drop to wrestling, cross-country, and lacrosse.

Sport Number of Participants
Football — 11-Player 14,917
Track and Field — Outdoor 9,597
Basketball 8,764
Baseball 8,248
Soccer 7,770
Wrestling 4,978
Cross Country 4,068
Lacrosse 3,787
Tennis 2,868
Golf 2,145
Swimming & Diving 2,066
Football — 8-player 859
Ice Hockey 644
Football — 6-player 453
Competitive Spirit Squad 172
Skiing — Alpine 140
Skiing — Cross Country 117

Competitive spirit squad and alpine and cross-country ski programs are clearly at the bottom.

Which States do PAC 12 Women’s Basketball Players Reside in?

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This brief analysis evaluated rosters of women’s PAC-12 basketball teams to determine the residence of their players (in-state, out-of-state, or foreign country). It looked at information published on their athletic websites in March 2014. Players were included in the sample if their average playing time per game for the season was greater than 15 minutes.

The states with the leading number of players were California (39), Washington (11), Texas (7), and Arizona (5). About 70% of the players indicated their residence was in these 4 states. Six players claimed Canada as their residence.

Of the 88 players listed in the sample, 32 players, or 36.4%, were in-state players. Cal, USC, UCLA, and Washington had more than half its players from in-state. Two schools didn’t have any in-state players, Arizona and Oregon.

Residence of PAC-12 Women's Basketball Players
Residence of PAC-12 Women’s Basketball Players

There were 49 out-of-state players from the U.S., 55.7%, and 7 foreign players, 8.0%. Overall, 63.7% of the players were out-of-state.

Individually, the top 6 teams in the conference had winning records. Collectively, they won 69% of their games. As a group, the residence of their players follows:

  • 54% in-state.
  • 41% out-of-state U.S.
  • 5% out-of-state foreign.

The bottom 6 teams had losing records. As a group they won 31% of their games. Collectively, the residence of their players follows:

  • 18% in-state.
  • 71% out-of-state U.S.
  • 11% out-of-state foreign.

For more details see the report Residence of Top Players 2013-2014 PAC 12 Basketball Teams. This report identifies the home state or country of the top PAC 12 basketball players and compares differences between the men and women teams.

 

Are PAC 12 Mens’ Basketball Programs Bringing in Hired Guns to Win?

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In Division 1 men’s basketball, a premium is placed on winning because it is a revenue generating sport. A key to success is recruiting players who have “A” talent.

Are the universities in the PAC-12 bringing in “hired guns” to make their basketball programs successful? If so are they bringing in players from out-of-state or from other countries? Do PAC-12 players come from all over the U.S. or are they primarily from the Western United States? Are teams more successful if they have a higher percentage of in-state players?

This brief analysis evaluated rosters of men’s PAC-12 basketball teams published on their athletic websites in March 2014. Players were included in the sample if their average playing time per game for the season was greater than 15 minutes.

The states with the leading number of players were California (30), Texas (5), Arizona (4), Oregon (4), and Washington (4). About 55% of the players indicated their residence was in these 5 states.

Of the 86 players listed in the sample, 20 players, or 23.3%, were in-state players. Only Cal had more than half its players from in-state. Two schools didn’t have any in-state players, OSU and Washington.

There were 53 out-of-state players from the U.S., 61.6%, and 13 foreign players, 15.1%. Overall, 76.7% of the players were out-of-state. Six of the foreign players come from Canada, more than any state except California.

Are men's PAC-12 basketball programs bringing in hired guns to win?
Residence of players in men’s PAC-12 basketball programs.

Five schools didn’t have any foreign players (Arizona, Cal, Washington, UCLA, and Colorado).

Individually, the top 7 teams in the conference had winning records. Collectively, they won 61% of their games. As a group the residence of their players follows:

  • 31% in-state.
  • 55% out-of-state U.S.
  • 14% out-of-state foreign.

The bottom 5 teams had losing records. As a group they won 35% of their games. Collectively, the residence of their players follows:

  • 14% in-state.
  • 70% out-of-state U.S.
  • 16% out-of-state foreign.

Clearly, most men’s programs (at least in the PAC 12) look outside their state to find players to construct winning teams. This limited sample size shows that recruitment of out-of-state players may not guarantee a winning season. In addition it may be a questionable tactic for programs that need to build their fan base or generate alumni support.

For more details see the report Residence of Top Players 2013-2014 PAC 12 Basketball Teams. This report identifies the home state or country of the top PAC 12 basketball players and compares differences between the men and women teams.

 

Age Breakdown of Sports Participants

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Recreation departments, sports manufacturers and retailers, coaching and trade associations, and athletic departments are interested in the age breakdown of sports participants. This information helps them develop customized equipment, services, programs, and coaching techniques to the sports participants in each age group. As well, age breakdown information provides valuable marketing insight that is used to promote goods, services, and the various sports.

The U.S. Statistical Abstract publishes sports participation levels by age groups using National Sporting Goods Association data. The 2012 publication provides 2009 NSGA information.

Key findings from the data show:

  • Soccer, baseball, basketball, and volleyball are predominantly youth sports.
  • Swimmers are split between two groups. Almost 42% are under 25 and about 45% are in the 25 to 54 age category.
  • Almost 57% of tennis players are in the 25 to 54 age group. A small percentage of tennis players are over the age of 55.
  • The breakdown of alpine skiers is similar to tennis; however, there are a higher percentage of older skiers than tennis players.
  • The sports of aerobic exercising, yoga, exercising with equipment, golf, and exercise walking have the highest percentage of older participants and the lowest percentage of youth participants. For each of these sports the percentage of participants in the 25 to 54 age category is between 54% and 65%.

sports participants

Sports Participation Rates by Gender

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From a business perspective it is important to understand the breakdown of sports participation rates by gender. This information can be used for everything from developing equipment and coaching techniques that are gender specific to marketing goods and services to the players and teams.

The U.S. Statistical Abstract publishes sports participation rates by gender using National Sporting Goods Association data. The 2012 publication provides 2009 NSGA information.

Overall, the split between participants in all sports and leisure activities measured by NSGA is 49.1% male and 50.9% female. This is similar to the gender breakdown for the U.S. population.

The data shows the following sports have a higher percentage of male participants:

  • Baseball
  • Golf
  • Basketball
  • Alpine skiing
  • Soccer
  • Tennis.

On the other hand, the following sports have a higher percentage of female participants:

  • Exercising with equipment
  • Swimming
  • Volleyball
  • Exercise walking
  • Aerobic exercising
  • Yoga.

More current information will be available in the 2013 Statistical Abstract or it can be purchased from NSGA; however, variances from the 2009 data are likely to be minimal.

 

Teamwork Laker Style

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Prior to the start of the 2012-2013 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers made a series of trades that made them a sure bet to challenge for the championships at the end of the season.  The team posted a respectable 45-37 record, enough to get them a short-lived bid in the post season.  For a variety of reasons, including the lack of teamwork, the team’s season has best been described as a nightmare.

In early January, Laker Center Dwight Howard assessed the situation on ESPN.com, “We have to play like we like each other. Even if we don’t want to be friends off the court, whatever that may be, when we step in between the lines or we step in the locker room or the gym, we have to respect each other and what we bring to the table.”

Were Howard’s comments a simple explanation of why the team had not been more successful, was he condemning his teammates for their inability to work together as a team, or was he trying to offer motivation to get his teammates fired up? Whatever the reason, his words didn’t help the team reach its potential.

The moral of the story is that money can buy talent, but it can’t buy teamwork, a strong work ethic, and wins.

What Sports do Adolescent Girls Play?

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A recent (2013) report produced by USTA Serves, “More than a Sport: Tennis, Education, and Health” promotes the merits of sports, specifically tennis. It identified the participation rates for the top nine community-based sports programs by race/ethnicity.

Overall basketball and volleyball are the top sports for adolescent girls.

The highest percentage of Blacks participated in basketball, track and field, and volleyball while the highest percentage of Hispanics played soccer, basketball, and volleyball. The top sports for Whites were basketball, volleyball, and baseball/softball.

As expected, team sports were more popular than individual sports.

As with the boys, the data shows that Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics prefer different sports. As communities are able to offer a greater variety of programs, more adolescents are able to benefit from participation in sports.

Sadly, a higher percentage of girls did not participate compared to the boys. Almost one-third of Hispanics and Blacks did not play in sports programs compared to one-in-five for Whites.

For Information about the participation rates for boys go to “What Sports do Adolescent Boys Play?”

For additional information contact USTA Serves.

 

 

What Sports do Adolescent Boys Play?

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USTA Serves, recently released the report “More than a Sport: Tennis, Education, and Health” to sell the positive benefits of tennis. It identified the participation rates for the top nine community-based sports programs and the participation rate of adolescent boys by race/ethnicity.

Football and basketball are the top sports for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. The highest percentage of Blacks participated in basketball, football, and track and field, while the most popular sports for Hispanics were football, soccer, and basketball. The top three sports for Whites were football, basketball, and baseball.

As expected, participation in team sports was greater than individual sports.

Interestingly, 16% of Whites did not participate in sports and only 12% of Blacks did not participate. About 15% of the Hispanic adolescents did not participate in sports programs.

The data shows that Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics prefer different sports. As communities expand their variety of sports programs, more adolescents are able to benefit from participation in sports.

For a comparison to the girls go to the blog post What Sports do Adolescent Girls Play?

For additional information contact USTA Serves.

 

 

 

 

 

USTA Study Shows Sports Participation Rates Favor Traditional Team Sports

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Back in the day… the boys’ sports with the highest level of participation were football, basketball, baseball, track and field and wrestling. In many communities, these were the only programs.

The limited programs for girls included volleyball, basketball, softball, and track and field. The combination of Title IX and the expansion of recreation and sports facilities and programs created more opportunities for youth to participate in.

A recent (2013) report produced by the USTA, “More than a Sport: Tennis, Education, and Health” identified the participation rates for the top nine community-based sports programs.  The report shows the “traditional” sports still have the highest level of participation and the remainder of the list is filled out by a mix of team and individual sports. Over the past 30 years, soccer has become a major sport

For the boys, the participation rate and sport were:
40% Football
40% Basketball
25% Baseball
20% Soccer
17% Track and Field
10% Wrestling
9% Swimming
8% Tennis
5% Cross Country
Only 15% of the boys did not participate in a sport.

For the girls, the participation rate and sport were:
25% Basketball
23% Volleyball
17% Baseball/Softball
17% Soccer
17% Track and Field
12% Swimming
8% Tennis
4% Cross Country
3% Lacrosse
Unfortunately, 25% of the girls did not participate in sports programs.

The good news is that a high percentage of youth are participating in sports programs, particularly given the financial constraints put on schools, municipalities, and the private sector to offer such programs during the volatile economic times of the past decade.

USTA Serves, Inc. is the national charitable foundation of the USTA. For additional information contact the USTA, or go to Resources/Research tab on the USTA Serves website.