The trend: Younger consumers’ focus on health is redirecting social activity away from bars and toward fitness-driven spaces like pickleball courts.

The details: Gen Z and millennials are posting stronger spending growth on fitness activities such as gyms, golf, and country clubs than Gen X and baby boomers, who still outspend younger cohorts at bars, per Bank of America Institute data. And the shift shows little sign of slowing: 21% of consumers say they plan to increase spending on gyms or fitness memberships this year.

At the same time, younger generations’ pullback from drinking has helped push alcohol spending as a share of household budgets to near a 40-year low, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That change appears cultural rather than purely economic. A Bank of America Institute analysis of aggregated credit and debit card data found spending and transaction growth moving in near lockstep over the past two years, which suggests consumers are actively reallocating their dollars rather than reacting to higher prices.

Why this matters: As younger consumers’ social energy moves toward fitness, brands have an opportunity to anchor themselves to emerging activities, particularly if they can define the category early. For example, Nike transformed the running market in 2017 when it launched the Zoom Vaporfly 4%, the first mainstream carbon-plated running shoe marketed around a 4% efficiency gain.

Puma is aiming for a similar play. The company recently carved out training as a standalone category and introduced the $260 Puma x Hyrox Deviate Nitro Elite, a shoe built specifically for Hyrox, the fast-growing fitness competition that blends running with functional workout stations.

Although Puma has partnered with Hyrox since its first race in 2017 and holds exclusive rights through 2030, this is its first dedicated shoe for the sport. If it can position itself as the defining footwear brand for Hyrox, the payoff could be durable pricing power and long-term loyalty.

Younger consumers’ pivot toward fitness-led socializing—from Hyrox to padel to pickleball—creates clear whitespace for activewear brands. The biggest rewards are likely to go to those that shape the identity of the next breakout sport, rather than simply show up once it scales.