It may be too late for that. Baseball might not be able to hold on to its national-pastime title, and it s not going to be football with its overhyped Super Bowl that will take over, predicts Grant. He notes that kids simply are not playing or attending the games. A 1998 study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association ranked basketball, volleyball, soccer, football and baseball in order as the sports youths ages 12 to 17 play most frequently. For now, the big four are suffering individually.
Basketball can t get kids to the game, either, and football and hockey require expensive equipment.
They re playing soccer. In fact, as baseball continues to drop in popularity, soccer participation has increased 20 percent among youths ages 12 to 17. Twenty years down the road America s national pastime may be soccer, predicts Grant. That s because the kids who are playing it now will be passing it down to their sons and daughters. Ten years ago the women s World Cup team didn t have to hold a press conference after their championship match because reporters weren t interested.