Injuries cost much more than medals
Did you ever wonder why the world of sport is so obsessed with injury prevention? On the face of it, the answer is quite simple. If you are injured you just can’t perform at your best, if at all, and therefore your chances of success are little better than slim. However, it would be naïve to think that the cost of injury is calculated in terms of glory or medals alone, as in the modern world of sport there is a lot of money at stake.
When you consider that it is estimated that globally the cost of injuries in elite sport is in the region of $16 billion per annum, then you get an understanding of why sports science has become a huge part of the industry in recent years. A huge amount of time and money have been invested into the area with the aim being to reduce the impact of injuries on both individuals and team. There has been an increased emphasis on monitoring, reducing injury risk and treating injury along with a focus on ensuring as quick a return to action as possible.
Organisations invest heavily in their departments and there are many tales of almost top-secret treatment areas within clubs where the latest techniques are being developed and carried out. The reason is to ensure that athletes or teams have the best possible chance of winning. Success at the elite level means riches, not only for the athlete but also for owners and coaches, along with many other members of the organisation.
Money and success inextricably linked
Naturally, the two concepts of success and money are inextricably linked and ensuring your star players are available for selection is key for any team. Put simply, the monetary rewards can only be a reflection of success on the field of play and this has been highlighted by data recently published relating to injuries in the English Premier League. The data reveals that a total of 20,576 days were lost to injury during the 2016/17 season which represents a total wage bill for injured players of £131,314,980.
The stats showed a total of 614 significant injuries with the highest occurrence being:-
- hamstring (166)
- ankle/foot (161)
- knee (151)
- knocks/muscular (149)
- groin/hip (115) and
- calf/shin (112)
Apart from the cost, which affects all clubs, the other aspect of this research is the impact on success, and it is clear that those teams with less injuries – particularly to their star players – are most likely to have a successful season. It is no coincidence that Chelsea, who finished the season as champions, were the second lowest in terms of days lost through injury at 358 days. West Brom was the only team with less (319) but they can claim to have had one of their best seasons in some time. In terms of the small margins between success and failure, the effects of injuries can be significant and this is illustrated by a comparison between Chelsea and their main rivals, Tottenham.
Total Injuries
Chelsea: 46
Tottenham: 58
Total days
Chelsea: 529
Tottenham: 1026
Significant Injuries
Chelsea: 20
Tottenham: 27
Total days
Chelsea: 358
Tottenham: 859
The findings also point to the fact that at a key period of the season when Tottenham were without two important defenders, they won only three of ten games. Meanwhile, Sunderland, who finished bottom of the league, had the most number of significant injuries (47), and had the most number of days lost (1813).
World cup player injuries
Research from specialist insurance broker and risk consultant JLT Specialty showed that Premier League Clubs have seen a 44% increase in injuries to players who competed in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Manchester City were particularly affected suffering 27 separate injuries to World Cup players as of end of January 2019. Duncan Fraser, Head of Sport at JLT Specialty, commented:
Starting next season, the newly introduced winter break cannot come soon enough for Premier League clubs. The lack of a break this season, coupled with the exertions and fatigue of a draining World Cup, has combined to create the most injury-ravaged and costly Premier League season yet
The economics of sport
These stats illustrate just how important it is to minimise the risk of injury and the time lost as a result. It is a subject dealt with by Robert Hudson in an article entitled How Economists Tackle Sports Injuries in the Financial Times when he states:
How long players – and especially star players – spend recovering, therefore, becomes a matter of vital concern. Team doctors, for better or worse, are focused on helping players get back on the field as quickly as possible: in professional sport, the difference between 10 days and 12 days can be the ball game
He points to a forthcoming article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, where John Orchard outlines just how important it is to deal with injury. He reveals that according to Orchard, the differences in skill between the top clubs’ players are so slight that he’s surprised teams don’t seem to appreciate
what seems obvious from the outside: injury outcomes will be a key factor in determining who wins the Premiership each year
Not surprisingly this is not just a phenomenon in the Premier League and Hudson reminds us that of the ten healthiest teams in the NFL in 2008, seven made the play-offs. He also points out that a knee injury to New England Patriots’ Tom Brady saw him sit out all but ten minutes of that same season, while being paid a salary of $14m.
Less physical contact
The cost of injury is one of the main reasons why there have been so many changes in a variety of sports over recent years that have resulted in stricter rule enforcement by referees, retrospective punishment and a decrease in physical contact. An example of this is highlighted by Andrew Leigh in The economics of sport: how the cost of injured players has ensured fewer fights. Leigh reveals that the number of fights in the Australian Rugby League has dropped dramatically in recent years. This is due to the fact that the authorities have got tough in terms of punishing players involved in fights, and he explains just why.
The answer is that, as the economic cost to the NRL of fighting has gone up, rugby league officials have seen to it that the supply of fights goes down. As teams have invested more in their players, the cost of an injured or suspended player has steadily risen
Injury prevention
As a result there has been a huge investment in technology that will help reduce injury and it is now accepted that monitoring athletes is vital in terms of preventing injuries. This area has been explored by Tim J Gabbett in The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder?. We dealt with this article in a previous blog (New study highlights benefits of monitoring) where we pointed out that the findings of Gabbett’s study create a very strong case for careful monitoring of athletes. There is a clear need to ensure that athletes are following the correct training programme, doing sufficient training to build up their physical capacities or to ensure that they aren’t doing too little training.
What is Metrifit?
Metrifit helps coaches get to know their athletes, and helps athletes get ready to perform. It is a simple, intuitive and effective approach to monitoring looking at how the ‘small picture’ of an athlete’s daily habits, shapes the ‘big picture’ of match day performance.
Whether your use of Metrifit is to have a highly accurate reflection of acute to chronic work-load ratios to make training/competition decisions, to empower student-athletes to be reflective and take charge of their Health & Wellness, or as a basis to engage in conversation with your Student-Athletes thereby demonstrating you care about them as individuals, Metrifit simply works. It meets kids where they reside – on their mobile phones and through technology and is quick, easy, and habit-forming to use.
Why not have a look at our Metrifit Ready to Perform product and gain insight on the physical and mental state of your athletes through our daily wellbeing questionnaire? To find out more visit our Metrifit Product Overview page or contact at for a free demo. You can also register your team and use Metrifit for 14 days for free.
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References
JLT research finds premier league clubs hit by spike in world cup player injuries
Premier Injuries Season Review – 2016 / 2017
The economics of sport: how the cost of injured players has ensured fewer fights by Andrew Leigh
How economists tackle sports injuries by Robert Hudson
Tech and Sports Injury Prevention
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