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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Athlete participation rates continue climb
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The NCAA News
The number of student-athletes participating in NCAA championship sports is approaching 400,000, according to the latest NCAA research.
The 2005-06 Sports-Sponsorship and Participation-Rates Report shows a total of 393,509 student-athletes participating in sports for which the Association conducts championships. Of that total, 224,926 (57.2 percent) were men and 168,583 were women — all-time highs for both genders.
Participation numbers have increased annually since 2001-02 and in eight of the last 10 years. More than 65,000 additional student-athletes participate in NCAA championship sports now than a decade ago.
In Division I, the numbers are 86,600 for men (55.2 percent) and 70,437 for women (44.8 percent). The difference in percentage between the two genders is the closest since the report began being tabulated in 1981-82.
On average, NCAA institutions had about 375 student-athletes, 214 males and 161 females. That has been consistent in every previous year of the report. However, while the average number of female student-athletes on campus has increased since 1981-82, the average number of male student-athletes on campus has decreased. Compared to 1981-82, for example, the average NCAA school now has about 61 more female student-athletes and 11 fewer men.
Soccer supplies the most female student-athletes — about 21,700 — which is slightly more than track. Not surprisingly, football is the dominant male sport, supplying about 61,200 student-athletes, far ahead of the next male sport — baseball — which supplied about 28,700.
As far as the number of teams, sponsorship increased from a total of 17,007 in the 2004-05 academic year to 17,287 in 2005-06. The number of women’s teams increased by 159 while men’s teams grew by 121.
In 2005-06, women’s teams represented 52.9 percent of the championship sport teams in the NCAA (9,150 for women and 8,137 for men). Women’s teams have outnumbered men’s since the 1995-96 academic year, when there were 7,857 men’s teams and 7,447 women’s teams. The number of women’s teams has increased each year for the past 24 years. The number of men’s teams has decreased in two of the last five years and five of the last 10.
In 2005-06, the average NCAA member institution sponsored about 17 teams, eight for men and nine for women. The trend of sponsoring more teams for women than for men began in the 1997-98 academic year. Compared to the 1981-82 academic year, the average NCAA school now sponsors about two more women’s teams and one fewer men’s team.
As with reports in the last few years, the 2005-06 edition includes a “teams added and dropped” category to provide a different sponsorship perspective. That calculation does not include schools that began or dropped NCAA membership in a given year. NCAA Managing Director of Research Todd Petr said researchers created the added/dropped calculation to gain a clearer picture of sponsorship in various sports over time.
“The participation-rates and sponsorship report is used primarily as a real-time measure of sports sponsorship, and while that serves a valuable purpose, it is not meant to be used as a way to measure changes in a ‘core membership’ over time while also trying to account for membership fluctuation,” Petr said.
In specific sports, women’s golf realized the largest net gain in 2005-06, increasing by 27 teams. Other women’s sports with notable net gains were soccer and softball (20 apiece), cross country (18), and volleyball and outdoor track (16 apiece). Historically, the women’s sport with the greatest net gain is soccer with 557 teams since 1988-89.
In men’s sports, the largest net gains were in golf (20), baseball (17), and basketball and soccer (16 apiece). Indoor track and cross country have grown the most in men’s sports (net gain of 81 teams each) since 1988-89.
Petr said the report also does not attempt to suggest why member schools decide to add or eliminate teams.
“Any number of factors affect sports participation and sponsorship trends, including changes in high school and college student populations, budget fluctuations, changes in the value of private institution endowments, insurance costs, and the reclassification of NCAA schools from one division to another,” he said.
Since 1988-89, there has been a net gain of 2,237 women’s teams and 326 men’s teams. Men’s teams have realized their highest net gains over the last two years (145 in 2004-05 and 139 in 2005-06). Last year’s net gain for women’s teams (185) was the highest since 238 in 1999-00.
The participation report is available in PDF format online (www.ncaa.org under Media and Events, then NCAA Publications, then Research). Users will need Adobe Acrobat software to view PDF files. A limited number of hard copies will be made available for sale. No hard copies will be mailed to the membership.
The 2005-06 Sports-Sponsorship and Participation-Rates Report shows a total of 393,509 student-athletes participating in sports for which the Association conducts championships. Of that total, 224,926 (57.2 percent) were men and 168,583 were women — all-time highs for both genders.
Participation numbers have increased annually since 2001-02 and in eight of the last 10 years. More than 65,000 additional student-athletes participate in NCAA championship sports now than a decade ago.
In Division I, the numbers are 86,600 for men (55.2 percent) and 70,437 for women (44.8 percent). The difference in percentage between the two genders is the closest since the report began being tabulated in 1981-82.
On average, NCAA institutions had about 375 student-athletes, 214 males and 161 females. That has been consistent in every previous year of the report. However, while the average number of female student-athletes on campus has increased since 1981-82, the average number of male student-athletes on campus has decreased. Compared to 1981-82, for example, the average NCAA school now has about 61 more female student-athletes and 11 fewer men.
Soccer supplies the most female student-athletes — about 21,700 — which is slightly more than track. Not surprisingly, football is the dominant male sport, supplying about 61,200 student-athletes, far ahead of the next male sport — baseball — which supplied about 28,700.
As far as the number of teams, sponsorship increased from a total of 17,007 in the 2004-05 academic year to 17,287 in 2005-06. The number of women’s teams increased by 159 while men’s teams grew by 121.
In 2005-06, women’s teams represented 52.9 percent of the championship sport teams in the NCAA (9,150 for women and 8,137 for men). Women’s teams have outnumbered men’s since the 1995-96 academic year, when there were 7,857 men’s teams and 7,447 women’s teams. The number of women’s teams has increased each year for the past 24 years. The number of men’s teams has decreased in two of the last five years and five of the last 10.
In 2005-06, the average NCAA member institution sponsored about 17 teams, eight for men and nine for women. The trend of sponsoring more teams for women than for men began in the 1997-98 academic year. Compared to the 1981-82 academic year, the average NCAA school now sponsors about two more women’s teams and one fewer men’s team.
As with reports in the last few years, the 2005-06 edition includes a “teams added and dropped” category to provide a different sponsorship perspective. That calculation does not include schools that began or dropped NCAA membership in a given year. NCAA Managing Director of Research Todd Petr said researchers created the added/dropped calculation to gain a clearer picture of sponsorship in various sports over time.“The participation-rates and sponsorship report is used primarily as a real-time measure of sports sponsorship, and while that serves a valuable purpose, it is not meant to be used as a way to measure changes in a ‘core membership’ over time while also trying to account for membership fluctuation,” Petr said.
In specific sports, women’s golf realized the largest net gain in 2005-06, increasing by 27 teams. Other women’s sports with notable net gains were soccer and softball (20 apiece), cross country (18), and volleyball and outdoor track (16 apiece). Historically, the women’s sport with the greatest net gain is soccer with 557 teams since 1988-89.
In men’s sports, the largest net gains were in golf (20), baseball (17), and basketball and soccer (16 apiece). Indoor track and cross country have grown the most in men’s sports (net gain of 81 teams each) since 1988-89.
Petr said the report also does not attempt to suggest why member schools decide to add or eliminate teams.
“Any number of factors affect sports participation and sponsorship trends, including changes in high school and college student populations, budget fluctuations, changes in the value of private institution endowments, insurance costs, and the reclassification of NCAA schools from one division to another,” he said.
Since 1988-89, there has been a net gain of 2,237 women’s teams and 326 men’s teams. Men’s teams have realized their highest net gains over the last two years (145 in 2004-05 and 139 in 2005-06). Last year’s net gain for women’s teams (185) was the highest since 238 in 1999-00.
The participation report is available in PDF format online (www.ncaa.org under Media and Events, then NCAA Publications, then Research). Users will need Adobe Acrobat software to view PDF files. A limited number of hard copies will be made available for sale. No hard copies will be mailed to the membership.
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