Data from the 2006 census shows that 205,985,000 participants were involved in the team sports indicated in the chart above. Some participants were counted more than once because they engage in more than one activity.

While the highest number of participants was in the 12–17 age group, a large number of adults also participated. The current emphasis on healthy living should lead to even higher levels of involvement in the future.

For more information:
website: www.census.gov

Social groups are always interested in caring for the needs of their members. When one participant is injured, the others can't just walk away from it and say, “It’s not my problem." They want to help and provide for the injured team member. Clubs can wait until an accident occurs to organize fundraisers to help the individual and/or family, or take a proactive approach and provide accident insurance for each participant.

Here is a possible scenario:

Greg and Tom played high school football together but neither played in college. When they turned 40, they decided they were tired of sitting on the sidelines and joined an amateur football team in their town. They were rusty and out of shape but trained and practiced until they were ready for their first game. Greg and Tom both tried to tackle the same receiver but collided with one another instead. The receiver walked in for the touchdown. The collision resulted in Tom breaking his arm and Greg breaking his ankle.

Since Tom had medical and disability coverage with his employer, his bills were paid and he did not lose any income. On the other hand, Greg worked for a small employer who did not provide insurance coverage. Greg had chosen to not purchase individual coverage and was responsible for both his medical bills and his loss of income from two weeks away from work.

While Greg was talking with an attorney about negligence on the part of the team’s coaching staff that led to the incident taking place, Tom was organizing a fundraiser to help defray Greg’s expenses.

According to Lee Hilsabeck, assistant vice president of Chubb Accident & Health, “Groups purchasing accident medical/AD&D are those that desire to provide accident protection for members of groups or associations participating in sponsored and /or supervised athletic events or activities.”

A number of companies offer this coverage. Chubb, Chartis, ACE and Nationwide are a few that offer it on an admitted basis while certain underwriters at Lloyds offer it on a non-admitted basis.

John M. Sadler, Jr., president of Sadler Sports & Recreation Insurance, sees three distinct reasons groups purchase this coverage. He says, “First, their general liability carriers may require it as a precondition of coverage. Second, some sports organizations may want to include accident insurance as a member benefit in order to attract and retain new members. And third, some organizations feel a moral obligation to help pay the medical bills whenever a participant is injured during a sanctioned activity.”

Groups other than the teams themselves are purchasing this coverage, according to Grace Cunningham, managing underwriter at R.B. Jones. She says, “Organizations that hold events with many volunteer workers or athletic participants and the general liability policy excludes medical payments coverage to them are one group. Sports complexes that want to keep their general liability premiums down by purchases AD&D coverages as a first layer of inexpensive protection are another. A third group is sports teams with minor participants or participants in the “mature adult” age range. The parents of the minors and/or the adult participants may be willing to purchase coverage through the team, especially in the absence of health, disability or life insurance coverage.”

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