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.