CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest on the field of Paycor Stadium on January 2 was a stunning reminder of how fragile life is, even for elite athletes, bringing silence, tears, and prayers from fans and players alike.
While the Buffalo Bills' star safety's close call is far from the football norm, football players routinely face injuries, many of them serious.
That’s why social media is routinely filled with claims that football is "the most dangerous sport in America.”
As the country prayed for Hamlin, one person on Twitter wrote, “Football is a brutal game.” Players will tell you, helmets and pads don’t often protect players from some of the worst concussive forces encountered on the field.
Scrolling down the list of hundreds of NFL players who are injured or placed on injured reserve status is a stark reminder of how rough football can be.
That’s why the results of some of the latest research on injuries in sports are may surprise you.
VISITS TO THE ER
Andrew Gillen, a managing partner at a personal injury law firm in California, and his team analyzed 2021 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) and concluded that basketball is the most dangerous sport in America.
The story concentrated on the worst injuries which send athletes to emergency rooms, finding 2,823 basketball players were sent to the ER in 2021, compared to 1,719 football players.
Soccer (1,289), baseball (347), and boxing (247) round out the top five on Gillen’s list.
EXERCISE AND BICYCLES TOP THE INJURY LIST
The Insurance Information Institute used statistics compiled by the National Safety Council to reveal that the top two sports injuries are caused by exercise and exercise equipment, and bicycles and accessories. Together, these two accounted for more than 785,000 injuries in 2021.
Basketball led the list of organized team sports on the list, coming in at Number Three overall with 259,779 injuries.
Football was Number Six on the list with 222,086 injuries.
MOST DANGEROUS SPORTS FOR STUDENTS
Finally, quotewizard.com crunched the numbers of injuries for students and published its article “Most Dangerous Sports for Students.”
While it found football has the most injuries (149,149) involving children under 15 years old, it placed basketball at the top of the list for 15-24-year-olds, with 185,316 injuries, and an injury rate of 432.5 per 100,000 players.
Football came in a distant second for 15-24-year-olds with 116,946 injuries and an injury rate of 272.9 per 100,000.
In the same article, football doesn’t even top the list of sports for percentage of concussion-related injuries, tying lacrosse for fourth place, just behind water tubing.
FOOTBALL IS NOT THE MOST DANGEROUS SPORT IN AMERICA
While much of the focus of football continues to be on the dangers of playing it, it’s important to provide some context.
So, as surprising as it sounds, if you claim football is the most dangerous sport in America, you’re wrong.