INSIGHTS

  • In 2017, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association reported that the US participation in rugby grew by 82.4% between 2011 to 2016.
  • In 2016, there were about 35,000 high school rugby players in the US, ten times more than what was obtainable in 2006.
  • According to the USA Rugby, there are 131,767 rugby players in the US.

OVERVIEW

Women's rugby players running with the ball on a grass pitch.

Rugby is indeed the fastest growing sport in the US. Out of 8.5 million rugby players in the world, over 1.5 million are in the US. This is 17.6% [(1.5/8.5)*100] of the total rugby players in the world. Over the past three years, rugby has been the fastest
growing sport at the college level, with a 25% increase in youth participation in the US. A 2017 report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association noted that the general participation in rugby grew by 82.4% between 2011 to 2016. Below, you will find a rundown of hard facts to drive home the hypothesis that rugby is the fastest growing sport in the US.

FACTS

1. According to USA Rugby, there are 131,767 rugby players in the US.


2. The breakdown of the number of rugby players in the US by age group is as follows:

a. Senior = 31, 489

b. College = 34,275

c. High School = 31,116

d. Youth = 12,386

e. Rookie = 5,596

f. Coach = 9,031

g. Admin/ Exec/ Volunteer = 4,122

h. Referee = 3,752

This would give a total of 131,767 players.


3. There are 103 rugby member unions in the world. There are over 8.5 million players, of which 3.2 million are registered. Of the registered players, 119,682 are from the US.


4. According to a 2017 ranking of the fastest growing sports in the U.S by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, rugby led the list with an 82.4% rise in participation between 2011 to 2016. It has a significant difference to roller hockey which saw a 56% participation growth.


5. According to a 2017 publication, there were about 35,000 high school rugby players in 2016, ten times more than what was obtainable in 2006. The report also noted that there are over 50,000 rugby youth players in the US.


6. According to a 2017 publication, rugby has seen a 43% growth since 2010 in the US which has led to its inclusion into Olympics games. The article reported that "rugby saw the biggest growth of any sport among the 18-to-24 crowd. There’s an 11.2 percent increase among men and a 12.2 percent increase among women, a telling sign that participation will increase".

CONCLUSION

To wrap up, a 2017 report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association noted that the general participation in rugby grew by 82.4% between 2011 to 2016.

Resolve the conflicting participation totals

The original text includes both 131,767 and more than 1.5 million US participants. Those values should not be treated as the same count without reconciling their definitions, dates and coverage. Registered members, occasional participants, school players and people responding to a survey can describe different populations.

For a hypothetical reconciliation, place each source in a row with its population, observation year and counting method. Only calculate a US share of a world total when both sides measure the same kind of participation. The phrase 'fastest growing' also requires a comparison set and time period. A percentage alone cannot establish that superlative.