Basketball participation in the United States remains a cornerstone of the youth sports and tournament economy—from community rec leagues to high school gyms to the NBA and WNBA spotlight. For rights-holders, CVBs, and tournament directors, that demand is a big win—but it also comes with a familiar pressure point: gym availability.
Basketball participation remains one of the biggest in the U.S.
Recent participation data continues to reinforce basketball’s reach and staying power. The sport’s accessibility—minimal equipment, widely available courts, and strong community infrastructure—keeps it top-of-mind for players, families, and event operators.
About 29.7 million Americans (age 6+) played basketball in 2023, based on SFIA participation reporting.
If you’re scouting sites for your next event, the planning implication is straightforward: demand is there—but the best weekends and best gym blocks go fast.
Tournament demand stays strong in key markets
“Basketball [participation] continues to increase in the Lubbock area both on the youth, high school and collegiate level,” said Eric Launer, sales manager for Lubbock Sports. “There are around 30 to 40 youth tournaments per year in the area, including the Little Dribber National tournament, which was held earlier this month in Levelland—15 miles west of Lubbock. Last year, over 120 teams competed in 12 gyms across the city [during] the week between Christmas and New Year’s.”
For planners, quotes like this underline a practical reality: basketball events scale best when a destination can coordinate multiple gyms (and manage scheduling, staffing, and wayfinding) like a single campus.
High school basketball remains widely sponsored—despite participation fluctuations
In high schools across the country, basketball continues to be one of the most broadly sponsored sports for both boys and girls, even as year-to-year participation can fluctuate.
In the NFHS participation survey data, basketball ranks among the most widely sponsored high school sports—listed as #1 by number of schools among the “Top 10” programs for both boys and girls.
This matters for event hosts because high school infrastructure often becomes the backbone for weekends with high demand—especially in markets that don’t yet have enough multi-court fieldhouses.
Youth girls participation has softened while college and the WNBA are surging
With girls’ high school basketball participation declining from its early-2000s peak, there was no better time for stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink to capture new attention. NFHS data shows girls basketball had 457,986 participants in 2003–04; more recent NFHS reporting lists 373,366 girls participants—down about 19% over that span.
At the same time, women’s basketball at the college and pro levels is clearly rising—and that visibility can become a tailwind for the pipeline.
According to Nielsen, the 2023 women’s NCAA championship game drew nearly 10 million viewers, up 103% from the previous year. And in 2024, ESPN reported the women’s NCAA championship telecast averaged a record 18.7 million viewers—followed days later by a record 2.45 million average viewers for the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Direct Answer: Yes—women’s college basketball viewership has grown sharply in recent years, including major year-over-year jumps for championship broadcasts and record audiences in 2024.
With the WNBA and NCAA women’s basketball drawing this level of attention, many organizers are watching to see how quickly youth participation follows.
Problems basketball is facing: court access, quality, and scheduling capacity
In the United States, the accessibility of basketball courts has become a growing concern, particularly in urban areas. With increasing population density and limited space, finding suitable courts for players to practice and compete has become a challenge. Many existing courts are not up to standard, lacking proper maintenance and facilities, which discourages participation and impacts skill development.
“We could always use more courts,” said Emily Hill, marketing manager for Visit Fort Wayne. “As basketball tournaments grow and organizations expand, Fort Wayne is planning to grow with them to keep up with the demand for more simultaneous games on more courts throughout the city.”
Additionally, the demand for court time often exceeds availability, leading to scheduling conflicts and limited opportunities for organized play. Addressing the shortage of basketball courts requires investment in infrastructure, community partnerships, and creative reuse of existing spaces for recreational use.
“Running out of courts [is a big problem], right now a number of our tournaments are capped due to gym availability,” said Launer. “We have a couple of great multi-court facilities as well as a ton of high school courts but could for sure use more.”
Planner takeaway: If you’re trying to scale, design around the constraint.
- Prioritize “clusterable” sites (multiple gyms within a tight drive-time) to reduce friction for families and staff.
- Build a gym map early (ownership, access windows, blackout dates, custodial rules).
- Confirm capacity beyond courts: parking flow, warmup space, spectator seating, trainer/first-aid space, and team check-in.
For facility inspiration and destination research, you can also browse SPG’s facility database: Sports Facility Finder
By Reid Solberg
FAQ
1) What should I look for in a tournament-ready basketball facility?
Focus on reliable court inventory (and access hours), clear spectator flow, and enough support space for check-in, trainers, and warmups. For multi-site events, drive-time between gyms and parking capacity are just as important as the courts.
2) Why do basketball tournaments get capped even in “gym-rich” cities?
Because the limiting factor is usually simultaneous court blocks, not total courts in a region. School calendars, custodial staffing, and competing sports often reduce what’s actually available on peak weekends.
3) How can a destination support growth without building a new mega-fieldhouse?
Start by coordinating existing gyms like a campus: standardized host policies, shared scheduling, consistent signage, and a central operations plan. Many events scale faster when logistics are unified across partners.
4) What’s the biggest scheduling mistake in multi-gym basketball events?
Underestimating transitions—parking, check-in, warmups, and travel time between sites. A clean schedule protects the athlete experience and reduces no-shows, protests, and staffing burnout.
5) How do I expand my venue shortlist quickly?
Use a structured facility database and compare apples-to-apples (courts, seating, hotels, access rules). SPG’s Facility Finder and the W2P Indoors guide are built for that workflow.
