Which Dangerous Sports Have the Most Injuries in [2024] + YouTube Video
When you think of the most dangerous sports, your initial reaction may be to steer clear of adventure sports like
skydiving or bungee jumping, but the reality is that the danger is much closer to home.
Do you happen to play football or soccer?
So be careful. You may be surprised to learn that these sports have some of the highest reported yearly injuries. In addition, some sports that may appear safe may produce more injuries.
The dangerous sports we have listed are in no particular order. Hazardous sports can affect your rates if you apply for life insurance. Your health classification can change depending on your specific sport.
Table of Contents
- Which Sports Have the Most Injuries?
- Cheerleading Related Injuries
- Gymnastics Poses Many Severe Risks
- Football and Rugby Are Notorious
- Severe Injuries From Basketball
- Kicking Injuries From Playing Soccer
- Cycling Falls Cause Many Injuries
- Falling Dangers From Horseback Riding
- Extreme Risks From BASE Jumping
- Life Insurance for Dangerous Sports: Video
- Our Final Thoughts
How Can Cheerleading Be One of the Most Dangerous Sports?
Research shows that cheerleading is possibly one of the most dangerous sports among high school and college-age
students. You may think cheerleaders only clap on the sidelines, so what could they possibly be in danger from?
It’s the many stunts they perform that put cheerleaders in danger. Running players can seriously injure them.
Cheerleading can easily be one of the most dangerous sports.
In the world of competitive cheerleading, the sport poses many risks. This includes the risk of concussion and other catastrophic injuries from performing flips and being tossed into the air.
Another risk factor is that many cheerleaders try to progress to new techniques and routines before they’re ready, resulting in injuries. Injuries also occur due to improper training on cheerleading techniques, which many cheerleaders don’t learn at a young age or may not have access to well-trained instructors.
Not having enough spotters for complicated stunts can also lead to severe injuries.
From 1982 to 2009, cheerleading accounted for 65 percent of all severe injuries to high school female athletes. Also, the number rose to 70 percent for female college athletes, reports the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Gymnastics Can Be Very Hazardous
Gymnastics and cheerleading have many similarities, but since gymnastics isn’t a contact sport, you might be surprised to see it on the list.
Although fewer injuries are reported overall compared to other sports, you likely won’t see as many athletes in a gymnastics training gym as on a football or soccer field.
However, it’s said that gymnastics has one of the highest injury rates of all sports. In addition, gymnastics can be very hard on the human body, especially when taking falls. This would place gymnastics as one of the most dangerous sports.
Football and Rugby Are Well-Known Dangerous Sports
If you watch the NFL, it might not surprise you that American football is one of the most dangerous sports. However, we felt we deserved a spot on the list due to the high number of injuries. In 2012 alone, there were 394,350 reported pediatric injuries from football.
The sport also had the highest rate of concussions, at 40 per 10,000 athletes. Rugby is a similar sport that carries many similar statistics. Aside from trauma, players can also experience sprains, fractures, and contusions, but deaths from football are rare. Nevertheless, football is considered to be one of the most dangerous sports.
Basketball Has Many Severe Injuries Each Year
Basketball injury rates are right up there with football stats. In 2012, there were 389,610 pediatric injuries reported from the sport. Although football ranks high for concussions, basketball injuries are more likely to occur in the ankle, says Moms Team, a trusted source for sports parents.
Sprains are the most common type of injury in sports, but general trauma also happens in the knees, hips, and face. One of the reasons basketball is classified as one of the most dangerous sports is the massive size of the players.
Heights up to seven feet tall and 300-pound weights are not uncommon. When they collide, there can be severe injuries occurring.
Soccer Is a Dangerous Sport Due to Kicking Injuries
Soccer is another sport that ranks high on the list for injuries. In 2012, there were reportedly 172,470 pediatric injuries during soccer practice and games.
Sprains and strains are the most common, and most injuries occur in the lower extremities. This can be from twisting the knee or being kicked in the leg.
Fractures and contusions from blows to the body can also happen. For example, a soccer kick to the head or neck places soccer as one of the most dangerous sports.
Interestingly, studies show that soccer is riskier than surfing, a sport that the public believes to be the most dangerous.
Cycling Is One of the Most Dangerous Sports Due to Falls
Although the public focuses a lot of attention on the dangers of head injuries in football, cycling outranks football as the leading sport for head injuries.
In 2009, around 86,000 people were treated for cycling-related head injuries, while only 47,000 football players were, says The New York Times.
This is partly because bicyclists are at high risk of colliding with motor vehicles. Most significant injuries—including about 90 percent of cyclists killed in 2009—involve not wearing helmets.
Cycling races can also be dangerous because cyclists ride so close to each other that if one falls, it can create a pileup, causing numerous injuries to many different riders. In the same period that nine deaths occurred in football, 22 deaths occurred in the competitive sport of cycling.
Horseback Riding Has Caused Fatal Injuries
You may not recognize horseback riding as a sport, but those who engage in it see it that way. It’s estimated that 74,499 people were treated in emergency rooms for horseback-related injuries in 2009.
Estimates say horseback riders should expect an injury for every 350 hours spent riding. Compare that to motorcyclists, who should expect an injury every 7,000 hours spent riding.
Most horseback riding injuries occur when a person falls or is bucked off their horse. The injury often happens when the rider tries to break their fall, which results in bruises, sprains, and fractures to the wrists or arms. In some serious cases, damage to the spine and back may occur.
BASE Jumping Is One of the Most Dangerous Sports in the World
If you were holding out for numbers on adventure sports, here they are. BASE jumping is where you jump off
buildings or cliffs in wingsuits. You also have the safety factor of having parachutes along with you.
It is said to have a five- to eightfold increase in injury or death compared to skydiving. BASE jumping can really increase your life insurance rates.
Skydiving rates are around one death per 100,000 jumps. BASE jumping, however, results in one death per 60 jumpers! BASE jumping quickly falls into the category of the most dangerous sports.
Research shows that non-fatal accidents occur in one out of every 254 jumps, while fatal accidents happen in one out of every 2,317 jumps. Most non-fatal accidents are sprains, fractures, and minor concussions.
BASE jumping is considered one of the most dangerous recreational activities in the world, with a fatality and injury rate that is 43 times higher than parachuting from a plane.
How to Apply for Life Insurance With a Hazardous Sport: YouTube Video
Our Final Thoughts
There are some other dangerous sports out there that are at high risk of injury and death. But there were so many we couldn’t list them all. You must take safety precautions to prevent injury if you play any sport.
You may also consider purchasing a term life insurance policy for peace of mind.
Get a free instant life insurance quote and compare over 40 top-rated companies instantly.
All the best,
Jack Venturi
For any questions you might have, call us at 815-390- 7545 and we will provide a quick answer.
