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On any given afternoon, sport shapes lives in ways that rarely make global headlines — young people gathering on neighborhood pitches, coaches helping build confidence and communities opening up places to play.
Those everyday moments ultimately fit into a much larger global conversation. At this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos — where leaders from government, business and civil society meet to discuss the forces shaping the global economy — sport emerged as an essential part of discussions about health, sustainability and long-term economic stability.
A new report released during the forum, Sports for People and Planet, explores the scale of sport’s global influence. Today, the sports economy generates an estimated $2.3 trillion annually and continues to grow rapidly. By 2050, researchers project it could reach $8.8 trillion. Yet the report also makes clear that sport’s future depends on factors that extend far beyond stadiums, leagues and major events.
Rising levels of physical inactivity and accelerating environmental pressures threaten not only sport’s growth, but also its ability to support wellbeing and opportunity worldwide. Together, those challenges could erode up to $1.6 trillion in annual sport-related revenue by mid-century while weakening the broader social impact sport helps deliver.
For organizations working in sport for development, those projections reinforce a reality they already see on the ground: the future of sport depends on participation, access and the ability of communities to innovate in response to social and environmental change.
When Participation Declines, Communities Feel It
Across the world, fewer people are meeting recommended daily activity levels. Behind those statistics sit real shifts in families, schools and community spaces.
Organizations report growing demand for safe, welcoming environments where people can move, build confidence and connect with peers. Coaches and facilitators increasingly support participants beyond sport, helping strengthen mental wellbeing, leadership skills and social inclusion. Program locations have become not only spaces for recreation and play, but critical hubs for community cohesion, gathering and belonging.
The report positions physical activity as a foundation for long-term social and economic stability. Participation influences education outcomes, workforce wellbeing and healthcare costs. Community sport programs often serve as preventative infrastructure, creating opportunities for young people to thrive before their challenges deepen.
For those delivering sport-based programs, this growing global recognition strengthens the case for investment in inclusive participation, particularly for women, girls and underserved communities.
Climate Pressures Are Reshaping Sport
Environmental change continues to influence how communities deliver sport. Rising temperatures shorten training sessions in many regions. Extreme weather disrupts tournaments and damages facilities. Outdoor spaces that once supported regular activity now carry new uncertainty.
At the same time, sport continues to spark community innovation in response to these challenges. Organizations are rethinking how and where programs take place, adapting facilities, adjusting delivery models and developing new ways to keep participation accessible despite environmental pressures. Many organizations already incorporate environmental thinking into program design, facility management and community education.
The research suggests that long-term participation in sport will increasingly depend on innovation — from grassroots program delivery to large-scale collaboration across sectors — to protect natural environments while expanding access to sport.
Partnerships Are Driving the Next Chapter of Sport Impact
Sports for People and Planet notes that expanding access to sport requires intentional collaboration. Community organizations, funders, private sector partners and local leaders increasingly need to work together to strengthen delivery and attract people to participate, and particularly young people.
For organizations working at the intersection of sport and social change, the report offers meaningful validation.
Across sport for development, partnerships unlock resources, spread knowledge and help organizations test new ideas. Increasingly, collaboration serves as a catalyst for innovation, helping programs adapt to emerging challenges and deepen the impact of sport-based programming.
Global reports often focus on projections and economic trends. Sport’s impact lives in everyday community moments — the sessions that build confidence, the programs that create opportunity and the spaces that bring people together. As the global sport landscape continues to evolve, organizations delivering sport in communities will help shape not only how sport grows, but how it innovates to meet the challenges facing people and the planet.
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