As we learn more about concussions, a new study points out there’s a big cost in professional sports.
The newly released study focuses on the National Hockey League (NHL) where fights and hard body checking are common.
Dr. Michael D Cusimano is a neurosurgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital, University of Toronto led the study. He is particularly concerned about concussions, which he said is related to violent acts in 88 per cent of cases.
The medical researchers studied statistics from all NHL players (1,307) during three seasons in 2009-10, 2010-11, and 2011-12. He said just over half of all players missed at least one game within a given season due to injuries, and almost 63% during the three seasons.
The study said salary losses due to concussions alone amounted to over $42-million US a season, while overall salary losses including head and neck injuries, and lag and foot injuries cost about $218 million per year, and $653 million over the three seasons.
Concussions average US $353,000 per injury
He noted that medical costs were not included which would have greatly increased the cost factor.
As an example, the study notes that head and neck injuries, such as concussions, resulted in the most number of games missed, at 11 games over a 30-week period. These types of injuries were also the most expensive, averaging at US$353,300 per injury.
Dr Cusimano said in televised interviews that the league’s opinion that violence on the ice brings in revenue is a “short term outlook”.
He says because of concern over concussions and violence, many parents are thinking twice about letting their children play hockey. This he says will affect the game and the league in the long term
During the 2010-11 season, the NHL introduced a rule change (rule 48) which outlawed blindside hits to the head. The next season the rule was expanded to include hits to head from any side. An earlier study by Dr Cusimono indicated that the rule changes did little to cut down the number of concussions in the NHL.
This study noted that over the three seasons, players sustained 323 concussions or suspected concussions. In terms of salaries for missed games it represented $128.5 million US
Additionally, more than 10 per cent of those brain injuries or suspected brain injuries resulted in more than 30 missed regular season games
Ten former NHL players have launched a lawsuit against the NHL saying the league didn’t do enough to protect them from concussions.
In August 2013, the National Football League in the US agreed to pay nearly $800 million US in an out-of-court settlement to end lawsuits from thousands of former players over concussion-related brain injuries.
Lawyers for the NHL players now say about 200 other NHL players have joined the class action suit. The NHL says it will defend itself in the case.
Dr Cusimano suggested that it is the fans who end up paying some of the cost of these injuries. He suggests the league and team owners pass along the costs to fans in terms of higher prices for game tickets and merchandise.
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