Why so many Gen Zers are saying, 鈥楶lay ball!鈥�
| Cambridge, Mass.
When Cassidi Hardy started playing recreational softball in 2011, she didn鈥檛 know that she and her teammates would become lifelong friends.
Ms. Hardy had recently graduated from Boston University, where she played and coached softball. She hadn鈥檛 left her love of the sport behind. So when a friend asked if she would fill in on a team with Boston Ski and Sports Club (BSSC), Ms. Hardy once again dug her heels into the trademark clay of a softball diamond. She has played on that team ever since.
鈥淢y team has become my family,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the first people I call when I have good or bad news, and it鈥檚 just something I didn鈥檛 expect when I first showed up to the field.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
Americans 鈥� especially young adults 鈥� are seeking more in-person connection. Dating apps appeal less. Board game clubs are all the rage. To create community bonds, more are turning to team sports from softball to kickball.
Such stories are becoming more common as American adults turn to team sports to up their athletic chops and build lasting social connections. The share of adults who play a team sport grew from 11% to 18% between 2020 and 2025, according to data from CivicScience, a consumer insight firm. Interest is strongest, and growing fastest, among young adults: A separate CivicScience survey in April found that between the ages of 18 and 29 expressed interest in joining a team, compared with 24% overall.
It鈥檚 part of a larger trend of Americans 鈥� especially young adults 鈥� seeking more in-person connection. Gen Zers also tend to favor work more than their older colleagues and are than older generations to use dating apps in search of romance. Board game clubs are . Some adults have even started attending to recreate the easy bonds formed during childhood games of capture the flag and tug-of-war.
The change might signal an enduring cultural shift tied to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As governments shuttered public spaces and much of social life moved online, people began to realize how much they valued in-person relationships and hobbies, says Troy Glover, director of the Healthy Communities Research Network at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
鈥淧eople were faced with a circumstance in the pandemic where they came to appreciate recreation and leisure as something that was really important to their well-being,鈥� he says.
Although people stayed connected via Zoom and other virtual means, 鈥渋t鈥檚 very difficult to replace face-to-face interaction,鈥� Dr. Glover says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something much more human in terms of that type of connection.鈥�
That seems to be a clear draw for many who play with BSSC, which has seen its membership balloon in recent years. Brett Crandall, the club鈥檚 director of business operations, says the number of teams nearly tripled between 2020 and 2024, rising from 1,076 to 3,100.
Ms. Hardy, who now manages BSSC鈥檚 softball and kickball programs, says it鈥檚 the bonds that participants form with their teammates at the dugout and on the field that pull them back week after week. She notes, too, that she now sees many more 20-somethings signing up than she did before the pandemic.
鈥淭hat generation is starting to realize that they鈥檙e missing that socialization in person,鈥� Ms. Hardy says. But team sports give young adults, and everyone, 鈥渁n open avenue to socialize and talk about things going on in their life that maybe they don鈥檛 get the chance to talk about.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e just out here having fun鈥�
That camaraderie is on display on an unusually chilly August evening at Donnelly Field in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where BSSC teams have gathered to play softball and kickball. On the softball diamond, amid the satisfying thwack of bats striking balls, players of all ages sprint around the bases, cheer each other on, and offer tips on form and play.
A mother of five, Ms. Hardy treats the teams she manages with an affection and energy you might expect from an experienced parent. This evening, when she spots a player she hasn鈥檛 seen in a while, she sprints to home base and wraps her in a bear hug. It鈥檚 the sort of display of fondness she wants to cultivate on and off the field.
That spirit runs through many of the players here. As her team 鈥� affectionately known as 鈥淭he Dirt Eaters鈥� 鈥� hustles to the field, Emily LaFond, a former college hockey player, says she and her friends are in it for the social life as much as the sport.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just out here having fun,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e love to play sports, but at the end of the day, we lose way more than win, and that鈥檚 OK.鈥�
Deeper into Donnelly Field, Ms. Hardy points out two teams preparing for a game of kickball. Kickball, she says, is an especially social sport 鈥� and the truth of that quickly becomes apparent. Members of one team, collectively known as 鈥淜ick, Kick, Boom!鈥� were quick to offer this reporter a spot in their game.
Indeed, the team feels as much like a close group of friends as it does an athletic endeavor. During their match against the 鈥淒ropkick Muccis,鈥� members of 鈥淜ick, Kick, Boom!鈥� have scattered, buoyant conversations in the dugout while they listen to hits like 鈥淣othin鈥� but a Good Time鈥� by Poison and 鈥淟ow Rider鈥� by War. They joke with an easy joviality and cheer for their teammates as they kick a large, rubber ball you might remember from middle school field days.
鈥淜ickball is an easy sport,鈥� says team captain Aelish Brown. 鈥淚t鈥檚 less pressure, and people are friendly and just excited.鈥�
After the game ends in a tie, Finn Haughn jogs off the field, dressed in a bright green shirt that matches the rest of his team and a pair of athletic shorts. He shares his captain鈥檚 sentiment. Joining the kickball team was one of the first social things he did when he moved to the Boston area last September, and the team remains an important community.
鈥淲e鈥檝e hung out outside of kickball in all sorts of ways,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he roster at any given time can be pretty mixed up, but the group chat is still popping with all the original members. Everybody stays friends.鈥�
Romance on the diamond
It鈥檚 not just fellowship between teammates that makes such activities important parts of our social lives, says Dr. Glover. The people you encounter regularly but don鈥檛 get to know beyond a face 鈥� for example, a player from another team 鈥� can serve as a reminder of an 鈥渋magined community鈥� that鈥檚 wider than just our social circle.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 really important for a functioning society is that we start to consciously recognize others as belonging to our communities,鈥� Dr. Glover says. Virtual interactions, though an important part of social life in modern times, don鈥檛 always come with those benefits, he says.
Back at the softball diamond, Ms. LaFond says she鈥檚 a prime example of someone who built a community through a recreational sports league. Not only does she get to spend time being active with her friends, but she also met her fianc茅 through the team.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool that I was able to meet my future husband playing softball,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a great environment to build those lasting relationships, whether romantically or just among friends.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e still playing after all these years,鈥� she adds.
