We asked 258 players why the game falls through.

Two cohorts, thirteen questions, one consistent answer: people want to play, and the logistics beat them. 258 respondents — 151 college students and 107 young professionals — fielded in 2026.

Four numbers that decided the product.

• 85% would use an app like this. Of young professionals, 85% said they'd be likely to use an app that finds and organizes pickup sports. Students: 79%. Only 3% and 7% said unlikely.
• 59% can't count on a court. Uncertain court availability was the biggest obstacle for students, and the second biggest for working adults at 46%.
• 17% use an app to find games today. Just 17% of young professionals and 9% of students use a dedicated app. Word of mouth and group chats run the entire category.
• 74% want the league, not the admin. Three in four young professionals would rather join a rec league than organize a game themselves. Students: 60%.

Finding 01 — The bottleneck isn't interest. It's coordination.

Every respondent either plays pickup sports, used to, or wants to start. Currently play: students 37%, professionals 47%. Played in the past: 31% / 37%. Haven't played but interested: 32% / 16%. Lapsed players are the largest addressable segment in both cohorts.

Finding 02 — Two obstacles do most of the damage.

Uncertain court availability: students 59%, professionals 46%. Not enough players: 48% / 50%. Not enough free time (professionals only): 55%. Price ranked last in both groups at 23% / 22%.

Finding 03 — Discovery is still analog.

Text group chats: students 60%, professionals 47%. Word of mouth: 48% / 58%. Social media: 39% / 51%. Show up and join: 21% / 42%. Dedicated apps: 9% / 17%. Word of mouth beats apps by more than five to one.

Finding 04 — They want the league, and the pickup game too.

74% of young professionals prefer joining a rec league to organizing a game (students split 60/40). 74% of those in or considering a league would also play pickup outside it (students: 61%). A third of students want a league but aren't in one.

Finding 05 — The radius is small. Density beats coverage.

Walking distance: students 38%, professionals 6%. 10–15 minute drive: 57% / 73%. 25–45 minute drive: 5% / 21%. 95% of students and 79% of working adults cap travel at a 15-minute drive.

Finding 06 — The two cohorts want different sports.

Pickleball: students 62%, professionals 45%. Basketball: 33% / 51%. Soccer: 33% / 44%. Tennis: 42% / 23%. Volleyball: 35% / 32%. Football: 19% / 36%. Frisbee: 16% / 19%.

Motivation

Young professionals (n=106): to have fun 89%, to stay active 85%, to meet people 72%, enjoy competition 44%. Students ranked identically: fun 83%, active 77%, social 71%, competition 35%. Multi-select.

Methodology

Two cohorts surveyed separately with parallel instruments. Thirteen questions each covering play history, motivation, sport preference, venue, league participation, discovery method, obstacles, travel tolerance, and product intent. Base sizes vary per question; multi-select where noted. Fielded 2026. Full question wording and response counts available on request — press@rec-lynk.com.

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