4 ms·
That headline is wrong. Nearly half of Americans didn't participate in a list of 42 outdoor recreation activities that this particular trade group profits from,
by throwawayjava 7y ago
That headline is wrong. Nearly half of Americans didn't participate in a list of 42 outdoor recreation activities that this particular trade group profits from, which is quite different from "didn't go outside for recreation".
"Outdoor recreation" was defined as: adventure racing, backpacking, bicycling (BMX), bicycling (mountain/non-paved surface), bicycling (road/paved surface), birdwatching, boardsailing/windsurfing, car or backyard camping, RV camping, canoeing, climbing (sport/indoor/boulder), climbing (traditional/ice/mountaineering), fly fishing, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing, hiking, hunting (rifle), hunting (shotgun), hunting (handgun), hunting (bow), kayak fishing, kayaking (recreational), kayaking (sea/touring), kayaking (white water), rafting, running/ jogging, sailing, scuba diving, skateboarding, skiing (alpine/downhill), skiing (cross-country), skiing (freestyle), snorkeling, snowboarding, snowshoeing, stand up paddling, surfing, telemarking (downhill), trail running, triathlon (non-traditional/ off road), triathlon (traditional/road), wakeboarding and wildlife viewing.
That's a pretty decent list, but it excludes what are probably by far the two most common forms of recreation that occur outdoors: walking in local parks and playing team sports outside (organized or pickup). But for some reason does include _indoor_ climbing!? Probably because this is a trade group comprised of companies that make an enormous amount of money from gym climbing but make exactly $0.00 when kids spend all summer playing in the community park ;-)
Direct link to report: https://outdoorindustry.org/resource/2019-outdoor-participation-report/ https://outdoorindustry.org/resource/2019-outdoor-participat...
- kbrackbill 7y agoThanks, I was wondering about this. If it included walking in local parks I would have been extremely surprised by the numbers. It seems to be more of an industry report, like nearly half of Americans didn't participate in outdoor activities that require gear from REI.
- cryptoz 7y agoWhat a weird list. I haven't done a single item of that list in years, but I would say I go outside for recreation about 100-200 times per year. Walking around the neighborhood? Kicking a soccer ball around in the backyard? Shooting hoops with a hoop attachment to a garage? None of that counts? What a ridiculous headline!
- glaslong 7y agoYes, curious that my weekly soccer game doesn’t count, but birdwatching does...
- oh_sigh 7y agoI play basketball, soccer and ultimate outdoors probably 15 days/month. Apparently that means I don't go outside for recreation.