Is hockey or football more dangerous? (2023)

Is hockey more dangerous than football?

Sports with the most concussions

Hockey has the highest rate of concussion-related injuries, followed by snowboarding and football.

Research has found that hockey-related brain injuries, via hits to the head or bodies colliding against the boards or other bodies, can cause post-concussive symptoms, cognitive disorders, depression, personality changes and substance abuse.

Comparing Athletes' Toughness

According to an extensive study done by ESPN called Sports Skills Difficulty, ice hockey ranks second behind only boxing among the 60 sports measured. Football is ranked third, basketball fourth, baseball ninth and soccer tenth.

1. Base Jumping. Base jumping is undoubtedly the world's most dangerous sport. The statistics show that there is a far bigger chance of dying base jumping than doing any other activity.

With about one million high schoolers in organized play, football has long been America's most popular sport — and its most dangerous. This collision sport's safety record is not good, with nearly twice the injuries of basketball — our country's second most popular sport. High school football players are most at risk.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, ice hockey is the second leading cause of winter sports injury among children, and most injuries are a result of body checking. One study of 9- to 15-year old hockey players found that body checking caused 86 percent of all injuries during games.

Fighting in hockey has been banned nearly everywhere outside of the NHL, including youth games, college play, and the Winter Olympics. Fighting has been part of NHL hockey since the league's formation in 1917 and its 1922 rule about what was then called “fisticuffs” (that's an old-fashioned word for fighting).

Kids can start playing hockey at a little bit older age and still have a great experience. Some start later and catch up to other kids who've played longer, or some are slower to pick up on skating skills, which is okay, too. The ultimate goal of hockey or sports in general isn't necessarily to play at an elite level.

1. Bull riding: This is a rodeo event in which the rider attempts to stay balanced on a bull as long as possible as the bull struggles to throw the rider.

Which sport has the worst injuries?

Basketball. According to 2019 statistics, basketball causes the most injuries compared to any other team sport. Young people and adults who play basketball are exposed to various injuries including fractures, facial injuries, deep thigh bruises, ankle sprains and knee injuries.

The dangers of professional football is a hot topic. Studies have found high rates of concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and a serious brain disorder called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in former players. These injuries can have terribly debilitating effects.

The “Cooley Bill” in California totally changed the game, and made football more safe than ever before. Starting with the 2014 season, Assembly Bill 2127 set guidelines for how much high school football programs can practice.

Between 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur annually, and football is responsible for the lion's share. Football players are also subject to hundreds of small, subconcussive injuries per season; hits to the head that shake up the brain, but don't rise to the level of a full-blown concussion.

While all youth sports carry a risk of injury, statistics show that youth hockey remains one of the safest sports. On any given night, at kitchen tables and dining rooms around the United States, there are discussions taking place between parents and their children who want to play hockey.

Hockey requires a high level of coordination; regularly playing can develop a child's gross motor skills, which leads to improvement with the more difficult fine motor skills, and improves eye-hand coordination, which can translate to a better understanding of spatial relationships.

We found that high-impact sports like football and hockey have substantially higher percentages of concussions than others. Hockey has the highest rate of concussion-related injuries, followed by snowboarding and football.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, ice hockey is the second leading cause of winter sports injury among children, and most injuries are a result of body checking. One study of 9- to 15-year old hockey players found that body checking caused 86 percent of all injuries during games.

Builds muscular strength

Field hockey also provides a strength-training workout, with the core and leg muscles being developed in particular. The sport can lead to enhanced muscular strength, as well as improvement in athletic performance.