Dating apps, crowded gyms, and noisy bars? We’ll stick to our Tuesday night volleyball league, thanks.
Driving the news: Recreational sports leagues are booming across North America as more adults trade their happy hours for intramural leagues. JAM Sports, a Canadian company that offers leagues for adults in more than 25 cities, says it has over 15,000 teams signed up to play this year.
- CEO Kristi Herold told The Peak that player sign-ups have jumped ~20% since 2019 thanks to a combination of league acquisitions and natural growth.
- Last year, 27% of adults in Canada played sports. Meanwhile, 20% of U.S. adults are now playing team sports — up from 11% in 2020.
Why it matters: For a generation of chronically online young adults, sports leagues have become a go-to third place. It’s part exercise, part friend-finder, and part dating app — one league in Denver has even been referred to as “the best dating app” in the city.
- Herold is confident that there are hundreds of marriages and thousands of babies that exist because of JAM Sports leagues. She says couples who met through JAM have had kids who are now playing in leagues.
Zoom out: In a sign of what could be next for the multi-million-dollar industry, JAM is launching a new premium corporate league in Toronto for companies looking to build camaraderie. Think office happy hour bonding but with less booze and a lot more running.—LA