If you think basketball is a safe sport and are daydreaming about your kid becoming the next LeBron James one day, you may want to reconsider your stance about basketball.
A new study by Health Grove has shown that basketball may be more dangerous than football. The report comes amid the seemingly unending speculation about football being responsible for the most injuries in high school athletes.
But this is not true, new data suggests.
The report compiled statistics from the Consumer Product Safety Commission showing which sports account for the most trips to the emergency room for athletes between the ages of 13 and 17.
Sports injuries are like waking up at 7 a.m. You may hate rolling out of the bed so early in the morning, but it’s inevitable in order to earn a living. You may hate sports injuries (everybody does), but they are an inevitable part of every sport.
But some sports are much more dangerous than others. And the new data collected by Health Grove shows that football doesn’t lead the way in most trips to the emergency room for athletes. Basketball does.
Shocking statistics about football and basketball injuries in youth
While bowling accounts for the least sports injuries (only an average of 764 every year), basketball leads the pack with a whopping nearly 120,000 injuries each year.
Surprisingly, football is placed at No. 2 with 118,886 sports injuries per year. The third sport in the ranking – soccer – accounts for only 45,475 injuries each year, which is only nearly 38% of all basketball injuries.
Although the data is shocking to those who thought football is the most dangerous sport out there, it’s worth saying that the report doesn’t take all factors into consideration.
Sifting through the report, our sports injury attorneys at JML Law note that the data doesn’t provide the number of injuries per player.
Meaning: that sports with the most players (participation) will naturally account for more injuries.
And statistics show that basketball is by far the most popular youth sport in the U.S. with over 9.5 million players compared to football’s 3.5 million.
Nonetheless, as a parent whose children participate in impact sports, you should be worried about the risk of getting an injury. It’s true for both basketball and football.
In fact, it’s only natural to be worried about injuries in youth sports, as statistics show that 87% of all parents in the U.S. whose children play organized sports are concerned about injury risks.
What to do if you / your child suffered a sports injury
But being merely worried will not save your kid from a broken leg, arm, neck, or even disability. That’s why parents whose children play impact sports, particularly basketball and football, are encouraged to hire a sports injury attorney on retainer.
Our sports injury attorney in Los Angeles will perform a thorough inspection into your particular case to find any of the following acts of negligence on the part of your high school, basketball/football coach, and their medical personnel on staff:
- improperly maintained fields/courts
- faulty sports/gym equipment
- improperly maintained equipment
- improper treatment of sports injuries before a young athlete is sent to an emergency room
- lack of qualified medical personnel on staff
- inadequate supervision or coaching.
If you suspect that any of the above-mentioned or any other acts of negligence caused a sports injury in your children or you, seek the legal advice of JML Law’s sports injury attorney immediately to file a claim and obtain compensation for your injuries, damages, and losses.
Call our Los Angeles offices at 818-610-8800 today to get a free initial consultation.
