Sports safety concerns infographic
January 28, 2016
Student sports participation is on the rise — but so are related injuries.
Student sports participation is on the rise — but so are related injuries
Sports statistics
- As of 2013-2014, high-school sports participants have increased for 25 consecutive years1
- 12 million student athletes in the United States2
- 46.5 million children playing team sports in the United States3
- 62% of injuries related to organized sports occur during practices4
- 47% of schools nationally don’t meet the federally recommended nurse-to-student ratio5
Top sports for injuries are
- Football
- Basketball
- Soccer
Other sports that face injuries
- Volleyball
- Running
- Cheerleading
Sport-related visits to the emergency room
- Approximately 8,000 children are treated in emergency rooms each day for sports-related injuries6
- Athlete visits to the emergency room for sports-related injuries occur every 25 seconds7
Year-by-year Injuries, doctor visits and hospitalizations
- More than 3.5 million children under age 14 who receive medical treatment for sports-related injuries8
- 2 million high-school athletes that injuries9
- 1.35 million youths that serious sports injuries10
- 500,000 high-school athletes require doctor visits11
- 30,000 high-school athletes are hospitalized12
Concussions
- 400,000 concussions high-school athletes will experience13
- Concussion rates between 1997-2007 more than doubled among students age 8-19 participating in sports like football, basketball and soccer14
- For boys, rates of concussions for helmeted sports are 2X that of sports that don’t require the use of a helmet15