Why less kids play ball games nowadays?

My friend's son is a 12-year-old boy, half a head shorter than I, but he is as tall as that of many grown-ups. His parents brought him to play badminton at a sport centre the very first time. But he couldn't quite hit the ball. Everyone can see he doesn't seem to have any ball sense. Badminton is a popular ball game here. Booking a government court is almost like a dream except the public holidays. Kids of my generations played badminton in the street with neighbours and friends. It's a game that we picked up when playing with friends as well as a popular social activity, just like guys playing football and basketball. I asked my friend, "how come your son doesn't know how to play badminton at all?" "Many parents prefer their kids to learn piano, drawings or dancing as these skills give them advantages of getting into a good school. Few kids excel in sports that can help them enrol in fine schools, so what's the point?" He said. "The young parents are not active either. I rarely see people in late 20s play any sports these days. They just love dining or shopping." I added. He nodded. The discussion went on and we strongly feel that his son should learn one of the ball games to make more friends in secondary school. Playing football, basketball, volleyball or badminton is like a passport of making friends. Swimming is fun. Playing piano is graceful, but it's solo activity after all. An Italian told me that it's harder for the government to recruit strong men nowadays. Young men are still fit and active but many of them hadn't experienced the hardship or laborious jobs like our grandfathers did. The young generations may have advanced in knowledge in a faster pace. But are they physically and mentally fit? I hope their parents have a second thought.