This Newhouse News Service article Pickup baseball has almost disappeared from kids’ lives had a headline in print that was more on the order of “Informal sports have almost disappeared…”
Pretty much true for pick-up hockey, baseball, and touch football but other informal sport-type activities have emerged to take their place. I see kids in my town hanging out playing frisbee and hacky-sack, skateboarding, freestyle biking, and rollerblading. If parents over-organize these sports too, I’m sure others will emerge.