The sports industry had a massive growth rate when the millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996) came of age.
Between 2010 and 2018, the North American sports market grew more than 40 percent from $49.9 billion to $71.1 billion, fueled by an increase in media rights and sponsorship revenue.
Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012), however, is much less enthusiastic about sports.
An analysis of recent Morning Consult poll results found that Gen Zers currently between ages 13 and 23 are less likely than the general population to identify as sports fans. Fifty-three percent of Gen Zers consider themselves sports fans compared with 63 percent of U.S. adults and 69 percent of millennials.
The generation gap was starker on the male side: 58 percent of male Gen Zers said they are sports fans compared to 75 percent of all adult men.
The only sports wherein Gen Zers overindexed as fans relative to the general public were esports and the NBA.
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James rank as Gen Z's favorite sports figures with 11 percent 10 percent of selections, respectively.
