Play-and-Pay: Sports and Injuries

August 17, 2009

Hospital Injuries Reveal the Most Dangerous Recreational Sports


Hospital emergency rooms reveal a lot about the riskiness of certain activities. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System maintained by the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates the number of injuries U.S. hospitals will see in a year that are attributable to a particular activity and its equipment. Here are some results for 2008. Notably absent are skiing, auto racing and hunting injuries. One question: what were all those injured bowlers doing?

2008 Injuries Attributable to Sport Activity and its Equipment

Sport Injuries
Bicycling 503,832
Football 478,802
Soccer 199,475
Baseball 159,832
Skateboarding 149,577
Weightlifting 79,027
Playground Climbing 79,020
Swimming 73,782
Horseback Riding 73,328
Fishing 72,501
Snowboarding 59,301
Volleyball 56,230
Rollerblading 41,035
Golf 37,872
Hockey 29,031
Sledding 23,896
Tennis 23,646
Bowling 21,150
Ice Skating 19,944
Track & Field 19,019
Boxing 18,321
Lacrosse 17,679
Baseball 14,749
Snowmobiling 12,460
Water Skiing 8,719
Diving 8,367
Squash/Racquetball 6,547
Camping 5,018
Mountain Climbing 3,386
Billiards 4,163
Horseshoes 2,332
Pogo Stick 2,283
Tetherball 2,126
Table Tennis 1,978
Scuba Diving 1,477

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Insurance Journal Magazine August 17, 2009
August 17, 2009
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Recreation & Leisure Issue; Education & Training Directory; 2009 FAQs and Facts Booklet