How emerging sports are reshaping US engagement

US sports engagement is diversifying beyond the major leagues, creating new growth opportunities in emerging, participatory, and community-based sports.

In brief

• Sports engagement at scale is no longer concentrated in the major leagues, as participatory and lifestyle sports rival traditional spectator models.
• Gen Z is redefining fandom through accessible, fitness-driven, and social sports, forcing a rethink of long-term media and audience strategies.
• Emerging sports offer media companies lower-cost rights, digital-first distribution, and differentiated content aligned with evolving fan behavior.

US sports engagement is entering a new phase. Football, basketball, baseball, and hockey still anchor the American sports landscape, supported by decades of institutional strength, media investment, and generational fandom. But they no longer tell the full story. The 2026 EY US Sports Engagement Index reveals a broader – and increasingly fragmented – engagement landscape, where participation-led, wellness-oriented, and community-based sports are delivering scale alongside traditional spectator leagues.

Engagement is no longer concentrated at the top

The four core US sports of football, baseball, basketball and hockey remain dominant. These sports continue to benefit from deep-rooted fandom, established professional structures, and robust broadcast and rights infrastructures.

However, meaningful scale exists well beyond the core four. Swimming, hiking, and yoga rival – or exceed – several traditional spectator sports in total engagement base, underscoring the growing importance of fitness- and leisure-driven participation.

Engagement is also widespread. Eighty-six percent of US adults engaged with sport in some form over the past 12 months. Increasingly, engagement at scale is not confined to professional leagues or broadcast viewing, but spans a wide range of participatory, social, and lifestyle-oriented activities.

Gen Z is redefining what it means to be a sports fan

Engagement preferences among 18–24-year-olds differ meaningfully from the overall population. Running ranks seven spots higher for Gen Z, while boxing ranks nine spots higher.

Newer and alternative formats are also gaining traction. Sports such as 3x3 basketball appear in Gen Z’s top 10 but not in overall rankings, while activities like dancing, table tennis, and kart racing resonate more strongly with younger audiences.

These patterns reflect Gen Z’s preference for accessible, fitness-oriented, and social sports, as well as digital-native content consumption. While core sports remain relevant, they are less dominant among younger demographics – creating both challenges and opportunities for media and entertainment companies seeking to build long-term audiences.

The gender gap represents an untapped opportunity

A persistent gender gap continues to shape sports engagement in the US. Seventy-eight percent of men engage frequently with sports as spectators, viewers or players, compared with fifty-six percent of women. Women’s engagement skews toward participation rather than spectatorship and declines more sharply with age.

Gender engagement gap

This gap represents a clear opportunity. Targeted strategies focused on accessible and approachable participation formats, wellness-oriented programming, and inclusive community experiences can help sustain and grow engagement among women. The recent rise of women’s professional basketball and hockey offers a potential blueprint for converting participants into ticket buyers and viewers – and for expanding the overall engagement base.

Different engagement types point to different monetization paths

Engagement is not monolithic, and the type of engagement matters.

Followership remains concentrated in sports with large professional leagues and strong media presence, supporting monetization through broadcast rights, digital distribution, and premium content experiences. Attendance patterns broadly mirror followership, with professional leagues driving live engagement and associated opportunities in ticketing, venue development, and fan experiences.

Participation, by contrast, skews toward cross-gender, low-barrier leisure sports. These sports create distinct investment opportunities in participation-led organizations, grassroots events, and physical infrastructure—often with different economics than traditional media rights.

When it comes to engagement, fans value excitement, social connection, and wellness

Three core drivers shape fan behavior across the sports landscape:

1. Viewing excitement. Fans are drawn to sports that are exciting to watch—such as football, basketball, and MMA. High-quality production, immersive live experiences, and compelling storytelling sustain interest over time.
2. Social influence. Engagement often spreads through close networks rather than mass marketing. Family and friends play a critical role in driving participation and fandom, particularly in sports like soccer, golf, and baseball. Group-based offerings—family ticket bundles, watch parties, and youth leagues—can convert entire households into fans. The rise of darts illustrates this dynamic: a once-niche bar game has transformed into must-watch entertainment, fueled by social media virality, walk-out music, and athlete personalities.
3. Exercise and wellness. Fitness motivations power engagement in sports such as pickleball, running, swimming, and weightlifting. Social interaction further amplifies participation in sports like padel, pickleball, darts, and running, aligning sports engagement with broader lifestyle and wellness trends.

Investment opportunities exist in emerging sports and scalable growth

Below the major sports sits a robust universe of activities with strong consumer engagement and compelling growth trajectories. These sports monetize differently—but at scale—creating attractive opportunities for both media companies and investors.

For M&E, emerging sports offer lower-cost content with demonstrated consumer interest. Niche sports show the strongest expected increases in following, with approximately 70% of padel engagers expecting their following to grow over the next 12 months. Cricket shows the strongest spend momentum, with roughly 30% of engagers expecting more than 10% growth in spending. Newer formats such as esports, flag football, and 3x3 basketball align well with digital- and streaming-first distribution models.

For investors, low-barrier sports with positive growth trajectories present compelling opportunities, particularly in infrastructure . Pickleball court construction grew 37% year over year, with an estimated $900 million required over the next five to seven years to meet demand. Professional cricket plans to expand to eight teams by 2027 and build ten international-standard venues by 2030. Padel participation has grown 250% since 2022, with more than 70% of new sports facilities now incorporating padel courts.

Several sports stand out. Community-based, participation-driven sports, such as pickleball, padel, and running, combine large engagement bases with youthful demographics and scalable models. Emerging leagues and formats, including 3x3 basketball, flag football, lacrosse, and cricket benefit from global sporting momentum, new professional structures, and growing youth participation.

Five actions for M&E companies

The evolving sports engagement landscape demands a strategic response. Media and entertainment companies should consider five actions:

1. Diversify content portfolios with emerging sports properties. Evaluate rights opportunities in high-growth sports such as padel, pickleball, and 3x3 basketball, which offer lower acquisition costs and strong appeal to younger audiences through digital-first distribution.
2. Build or acquire infrastructure in participation-driven sports. Facility operators, real estate developers, and hospitality companies should assess demand for low-barrier sports, where courts and facilities require less space, deliver higher utilization, and create new revenue streams.
3. Develop targeted strategies to capture and retain female audiences. Focus on participation-led formats, wellness-oriented programming, and accessible entry points, while leveraging the growth of women’s professional leagues to convert participants into spectators.
4. Align youth engagement strategies with Gen Z preferences. Prioritize accessible, fitness-oriented, and socially driven sports, supported by short-form, digital-native content and partnerships with emerging properties that over-index with 18–34 audiences.
5. Monitor sports tied to major global events for momentum opportunities. Flag football, 3x3 basketball, and cricket are poised to benefit from inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles games, creating natural engagement spikes and opportunities for early investment in media, sponsorship, and infrastructure.

Winners of the next phase of US sports engagement will build for participation as well as spectatorship

Major sports will continue to anchor the US sports landscape with massive engagement bases and mature business models. At the same time, significant scale and growth exist across a diversified long tail of emerging leisure and community-based sports, particularly those aligned with participation, wellness, and social connection.

Gen Z’s engagement preferences challenge traditional assumptions about fandom, while fan behavior across demographics is increasingly shaped by excitement, social influence, and lifestyle alignment. Looking ahead, global events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games will further accelerate momentum for sports like soccer, flag football, 3x3 basketball, and cricket.

As engagement diversifies beyond the major sports, organizations that rebalance content strategies, capital deployment, and audience development accordingly will be best positioned to capture outsized growth in the evolving US sports ecosystem.