Sporttreibenden

Sporttreibenden is a German noun used to refer to individuals who actively engage in sport. The term combines Sport with treiben and is used to describe people who participate in physical activities, as distinct from spectators, coaches, referees, or administrators. In scholarly writing, the phrase die Sporttreibenden denotes participants across various levels of participation, from casual recreational activities to competitive sport.

The category encompasses amateurs and professional athletes who regularly take part in sport, whether in clubs, leagues, or informal settings. It is commonly employed in sociology, public health, sports science, and policy discussions to analyze participation rates, motivations, barriers, social integration, and health outcomes related to sport.

Compared with terms like Sportler, Sporttreibende emphasizes the act of taking part in sport rather than identity as an athlete. The singular form is der Sporttreibende (masculine) or die Sporttreibende (feminine); in everyday usage, one may say eine Person, die Sport treibt, or simply der/die Sporttreibende.

Usage notes: The term appears in formal and academic contexts as well as in media language; depending on context, other formulations such as Teilnehmende am Sport or Sporttreibende Personen may be preferred to reflect gender-inclusive language.

See also: Sportteilnahme, Sportler, Amateursport, Profisport, Gesundheit und Sport.