Generation Z in the US prefers boxing to baseball

Brian Kelly, chief revenue officer at Top Rank, isn’t surprised how Gen Z (ages 6 to 24)’s taste for boxing has grown to the point where it has become the third favorite sport for that age group, overtaking baseball. And just behind football and basketball.

“Everything is a testament to the power of boxing,” the official told the magazine. Forbes.

Kelly cited metrics from Luker on Trends to show how boxing grew more than any other sport between 2010 and 2020, attracting more than 26 million new American fans during that time period.

scan for Harris Poole In June 2021 it was decided that the sport was the fourth most popular in the country. In the survey of more than 2,000 adults, 33% of those surveyed said they were a boxing fan. It is only surpassed by American football (62%) and baseball and basketball (both by 49%).

Contrary to assumptions, a Harris poll revealed that boxing ranks well above mixed martial arts (30%).

It’s undoubtedly a huge leap since boxing in 2010 failed to reach the top ten in the Harris Poll.

About the boom among Generation Z, Kelly commented that social networks were crucial to attracting young fans. “The format of boxing fits perfectly with the way Generation Z consumes content. A boxing match can be finished in 5 seconds or the last 36 minutes. There can be an amazing knockout at any time and you don’t want to miss it.”

According to a report Sports Front Officeboxing overtook baseball as the fourth most popular sport among young generation Z. American football (47.5%), followed by basketball (44%) came out on top, followed by soccer (soccer) and boxing.

“Social media platforms are great mediums for us, in terms of telling the story and experiences of top-tier fighters,” Kelly added. “Our fighters have amazing stories that haven’t been told before. Our outlets and channels work closely with our fighters to tell those stories.”

Contrary to popular belief that YouTubers (and brothers) Jake Paul and Logan Paul are bad for sports, Kelly stressed that they “attract audiences, which is great in terms of developing the sport.”

In recent years, we are witnessing this change as casual boxing fans become more passionate about boxing…and we want the sport of boxing to continue to grow and thrive.”