New College Sports Injury Research Highlights Top 5 Sports by Injuries

When it comes to college sports, if you were asked which sport tops the injury list, most people would probably say football. After all, college football teams and players get a lot of media attention. Football in the late summer, throughout the fall, and during the early winter dominates sports news with the regular season, championships, the Heisman winner announcement, and bowl games. Then, football’s back again in the spring with the Pro Draft. One way or another, football and players’ health are in the news all year long.

This means you may be surprised to learn that sports injury research by A-G Administrators into insurance claims by sports revealed a different college sport at the top of the list. In fact, college football injuries don’t appear until the number five spot—and their average injury insurance spend per student-athlete is less than half of not just the number one sport but the number two sport as well. So, which sport has the most injuries?

The Top 5 College Sports by Average Injury Insurance Spend Per Student-Athlete

Using rich claims history data from EGBAR, A-G Administrators’ proprietary, industry-leading claims management system, along with current program information from surveying and working with more than 675 colleges and universities for nearly 40 years, we are in a unique position to provide an invaluable picture of injury trends, insurance features, and treatment costs.

Along with many other surprising insights, our insurance claims-sports analysis revealed how college sports ranked by injury.

The Top 5 College Sports by Average Injury Spend per Student-Athlete:

2018 Data:

When we analyzed the data, men’s and women’s basketball topped the list, which may surprise you initially because basketball is technically a non-contact sport. But it’s a high-intensity sport played in a competitive environment with injury risk increased by fatigue and game load, resulting in more injuries.

You can read more about how your sports program compares to those of your peers in the complete A-G Administrators First College Sports Medical Expense and Insurance Survey Report.

Athletic trainers will find special insights in the data, including ways to lower claims costs and information about our risk management services that can help you prevent injuries. As Dan Buckley, senior vice president at Gallagher Special Risk and one of our partners, shares:

“Easy access to A-G’s data helps me keep my clients better informed. We can see claims activity on a monthly basis and the balance in the account. We can run reports on paid claims by body part or injury type, paid claims by sport, and by where the injury occurred. We can also do points-in-time claims comparisons. I find that A-G reports help with risk management too, when we can see injury trends and can help our policyholders with solutions.”

The sports injury research report also provides information about top medical procedures, imaging cost information, injured body parts, insurance costs, insurance benefit concerns, and more.

No Matter Where They Fall on The List, A-G’s There to Help Protect All College Sports and Student-Athletes

We’ve been protecting students and student-athletes from the high treatment costs of accidents since 1983. Nearly 40 years later, our members include close to 7,000 K-12 schools, colleges and universities, national governing bodies, travel leagues, camps, and more. When you work with A-G Administrators, you don’t just get insurance. We analyze claims data with state-of-the-art technology to provide insights into injury costs and trends. Not only does it help you keep your student-athletes healthier, it can help control costs, too. It’s why we’re a leader in the sports insurance industry.

Our partnerships are carefully considered to bring you the best value and insights. Among our partners are:

• Sparta Science provides solutions that help measure a student-athlete’s readiness for sport, injury risk, and return-to-play timelines, with a:
  • 48% reduction in surgeries with the Sparta software
  • 45% reduction in annual insurance claims
  • 21% reduction in injuries each year
• The U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health (USCAH) provides athletic programs with independent third-party health and safety consultation and education.

This partnership has deepened A-G Administrators and USCAH’s commitment to ensure athletes receive unbiased medical expertise from a multidisciplinary network of experts.

“We are so excited to partner with A-G Administrators to deliver athlete health and safety compliance resources to their nearly 7,000 clients,” James Borchers, USCAH president and CEO, said.

Find Out More About What A-G Administrators Can Do for You and Your Program:

Make sure to download the complete A-G Administrators First College Sports Medical Expense and Insurance Survey Report.

If you’d like to talk to someone about accident insurance with A-G Administrators, please don’t hesitate to ask us for a quote. One of our sports insurance specialists will be happy to answer your questions and tell you more.