Contact Sports Liability Insurance

Any sport has risks, but contact sports often have a greater degree due to the added physical interaction between players. Contact sports are a broad category, including activities where participants may come into contact with each other or inanimate objects, typically with great force.

These sports bring many potential risks, from injuries to lawsuits. Whether you’re a player or a coach, you can lower your risk in several ways, including adopting particular practices and investing in a comprehensive contact sports insurance solution.

What Are Contact Sports?

A lot of sports involve some degree of contact, like basketball, baseball, and soccer. However, to be truly considered a contact sport, the ante must be upped considerably.

In sports like football, hockey, and lacrosse, athletes of herculean size and strength collide head-on at impossible speeds. Karate competitors launch the same fists they use to break stacks of bricks at their opponents. Boxers sustain round after round of powerful, expertly landed punches to their faces and upper bodies. Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters must constantly maintain their balance or risk being brought to the ground and pummeled into defeat.

The list goes on and on. Certainly, all of these athletes know the risks of their sport when it pertains to their health and bodies. But what about the consequences they may face if they injure one of their opponents? Helmets and pads won’t protect them from a lawsuit.

The same applies to those responsible for these athletes, such as coaches, facility owners, and event organizers. Knowing the risks is only the first step. Next, you must take measures to lower the risks and protect yourself should the unexpected happen.

The Risks of Contact Sports

Aggressive physical contact makes athletes in these sports more prone to injury, but contact sports also carry additional risks you may not immediately consider. Here are a few of the most significant:

• Traumatic brain injuries: In the U.S., contact sports are associated with 45% of all emergency department visits for sports-related TBIs and concussions in children ages 17 and under. The degree of contact between players makes head injuries more common.
• Musculoskeletal injuries: These injuries are among the most common in sports. They may include fractures, dislocations, strains, or sprains. Acute fractures most commonly occur due to events like falls or direct contact.
• Sudden cardiac arrest: This event has occurred among athletes between 11 and 17 years old. In a recent U.S. study, 51% of 641 athletes died after suffering sudden cardiac arrest, and most cases occurred during exertion.
• Abuse and misconduct: Besides physical injury, sports participants may experience abuse and misconduct at the hands of authority figures or fellow athletes. Contact sports may carry a higher risk due to the physical nature, competitive intensity, and close participant interactions.
• Lawsuits: Professional sports organizations often carry significant liability policies to cover malpractice liability lawsuits. For example, a $52.6 million liability policy is required to treat NFL players.

Contact and Extreme Sports Insurance Solutions

While contact sports face various risks, custom contact sports liability insurance plans are available to lessen the risk athletes face by competing in brutally physical sports. Insurance solutions may protect others, including teams, sports leagues, coaches, and facilities. Make no mistake, the risks are real and considerable. Lawsuits stemming from contact sports injuries are filed every day.

It’s no surprise, either. In these sports, things often happen very fast, and one wrong decision made in the blink of an eye can lead to disastrous results. However, one cannot play with a trace of timidity, for that would put oneself at risk. The best way for these athletes to play freely and to the best of their abilities is to have a contact sports liability insurance plan. Similarly, coaches and others involved in leading the sport can do so with greater confidence, knowing they have a plan in place should the unexpected occur.

Secure Your Coverage for Contact Sports Today!

At XINSURANCE, we can identify coverage solutions for various risks, including those encountered in contact sports. Work with us to identify student athlete liability insurance, coach insurance, or gym insurance solutions. Our team can also find solutions for particular contact and extreme sports like gymnastics, martial arts, motocross, and paragliding. Reach out online to request a quote for contact insurance solutions.

Authored by Rick J. Lindsey, President, Chairman, and CEO of XINSURANCE

Rick J. Lindsey hails from Salt Lake City, Utah. He began working in the mailroom of his father’s Salt Lake City insurance firm, getting his introduction to the business that became his lifelong career. Rick J. Lindsey quickly rose through the ranks while working in nearly every imaginable insurance industry job. As an entrepreneur, specialty lines underwriter, claims specialist, risk manager, and a licensed surplus lines broker, Rick J. Lindsey is highly skilled in all levels of leadership and execution. As he progressed on his career path, Rick J. Lindsey discovered an urgent need for insurers willing to write policies for high-risk individuals and businesses. He was frequently frustrated that he could not provide the liability protection these entities desperately needed to safeguard their assets. He also formed the belief that insurance companies acted too quickly to settle frivolous claims. Rick J. Lindsey decided to try a different approach. He started an insurance company and became the newly formed entity’s CEO. This opportunity has enabled Rick J. Lindsey to fill a void in the market and provide a valuable service to businesses, individuals, and insurance agents who write high-risk business. XINSURANCE also specializes in helping individuals and businesses who live a lifestyle or participate in activities that make them difficult for traditional carriers to insure. If you’ve been denied, non-renewed, or canceled coverage, don’t give up quite yet. Chances are XINSURANCE can help.