The cost of players’ injuries to professional sports leagues and other sports organizations

Purpose: Most literature studies have focused on direct treatment costs of injuries. This literature is extended to include the foregone playing time of players as an additional injury cost. Design/methodology/approach: The authors have reviewed the literature on the cost of players’ injuries to professional sports leagues and other organizations. Findings: The authors concluded that players’ injury costs are substantial and sufficiently variable to be a primary source of financial uncertainty for a team. Originality/value: This study's value has added risk pooling and league-wide revenue sharing as tools to mitigate the risk of injury costs. Previous literature reviews focused predominately on direct treatment costs.